Wyatt the Latest Hard-Working Big to Deliver

Tatyana Wyatt needed all of four minutes to match her season high.
 
Wyatt had four of Kentucky’s first five buckets Tuesday night in Memorial Coliseum. By the time she added another basket for her ninth and 10th points in the final minutes of the first period, the Wildcats were well on the way to victory.
 
“The first quarter was pretty good,” Wyatt said. “I felt good about it. When I saw the first layup go through, I just had more confidence and I’ve been working after practice with Coach Amber (Smith), Blair (Green) and KeKe (McKinney), so I just felt good today.”
 
The sophomore forward finished with 16 points as No. 18 Kentucky (11-1) dominated Western Carolina Tuesday night in Memorial Coliseum, 99-39. Wyatt made 8-of-10 shots and added six rebounds.
 
“I thought she had some nice plays tonight where she read—they were switching screens,” Matthew Mitchell said. “She had some nice slips to the basket and the guards found her. I thought she was really engaged mentally tonight and I thought her confidence just continued to build.”
 
That’s a welcome development.
 
“We need her,” Mitchell said. “It’s real important that we have her play up to her capability so we can be the best team we can be. Real happy for her. I thought it was a good night for Tot.”
 
Wyatt’s big game comes on the heels of a UK win over Middle Tennessee in which McKinney and Green combined to score 24 points. That’s good news for a team with three explosive scorers in Rhyne Howard, Maci Morris and Taylor Murray. With the likes of Wyatt, McKinney and Green stepping up, UK’s offense becomes that much more dangerous.  
 
It’s no accident that’s happening. Realizing the difference they can make and the responsibility they have to make it, Wyatt, McKinney and Green are taking their improvement seriously.
 
“I feel like we’ve been putting a lot of work out there in practice or before practice,” Wyatt said. “Our teammates need us and we realize that. I feel like we’re contributing more.”