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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
NO. 13 KENTUCKY VS. NO. 10 ARKANSAS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020
MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
 
No. 13 Kentucky 75, No. 10 Arkansas 64 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 8-1, 1-0 in the SEC on the year, while Arkansas is 9-2 and 0-1 in the league.  
  • This was the SEC opener for both teams.
  • Kentucky is now 17-22 in SEC openers since the 1982-83 season.
• This was the 39th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Arkansas in women’s basketball. This was the third meeting between the two teams with both ranked in the AP Top 25 and the first with both in the top 15.
  • UK leads the all-time series 25-14, including a 16-3 mark in games played in Lexington.
  • UK’s last home loss to Arkansas was Feb. 13, 2003 when the Razorbacks earned a 70-60 win inside Memorial Coliseum.
  • UK is 2-6 against ranked Arkansas teams.  
• Kyra Elzy is in her first season as interim head coach at Kentucky.
  • Elzy is now 8-1 as head coach of Kentucky. 
• UK is now 853-549 all-time in its 47th year of varsity women’s basketball.
• The Wildcats have had great success inside Memorial Coliseum through the years, sitting 468-159 all-time.
  • UK is 7-0 at home this season.
• Kentucky is ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 and No. 11 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25.
  • UK is 23-6 all-time as the No. 13 team in the nation.
  • This was the 25th time in program history that UK has defeated a top-10 ranked foe. This is the first since UK took down No. 6 Mississippi State 73-62 on Feb. 16, 2020 inside Memorial Coliseum.
  • UK is 2-1 this season against ranked teams, defeating then-No. 13 Indiana and now No. 10 Arkansas – both at home.
• The Wildcats will return to action Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against No. 12 Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
  • UK was initially scheduled to play at Tennessee on Sunday but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the UT program. No reschedule date has been announced.
• The reschedule makes UK’s start to league play even tougher than originally thought as now the Wildcats will start the league slate with back-to-back-to-back-to-back games against the only four teams in the league that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
  • Following Sunday’s game at Mississippi State, UK will travel to No. 9 Texas A&M next Thursday before hosting No. 5 South Carolina next Sunday inside Memorial Coliseum.
  • If all four teams stay in the top 15 of the AP Top 25 when UK faces them, it will be the first time in program history that UK has played four straight games against top-15 ranked foes.

 
Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guard Chasity Patterson, senior forward KeKe McKinney, junior guards Blair Green and Rhyne Howard, and sophomore forward Dre’una Edwards.
  • This was the sixth time this season that UK has used this starting combination. UK is 5-1 with this starting combination.
  • Rhyne Howard scored first for Kentucky in the game – the team-leading third time this season she has been the first Wildcat to score.
  • Robyn Benton was the first sub for Kentucky. It was the team-leading fifth time this season that time this season she has been the first sub.
  • Arkansas won the tip, marking the fifth time this season that UK has lost the opening tip.
• It was a first quarter of runs for both teams after trading baskets to start the game. Arkansas was first with a 8-0 run, followed by a UK timeout and a 7-0 UK run to make it 10-9 Arkansas early. However, the Razorbacks ended the first quarter on a 8-2 run to grab a 18-11 lead heading into the second 10 minutes.
• Kentucky started the second quarter on a 12-3 run to grab its first lead of the game at 23-21 just over six minutes to go in the second quarter.
• UK limited Arkansas to 34 first-half points which is the fewest points scored by the Razorbacks in the first half of a game this season.
  • It was also the second time Arkansas had been held to less than 20 points in each of the first two quarters of a game this season. Baylor also accomplished the feat.
• Arkansas was held to a season-low 64 points in the game – their previous season low was 79 points against SMU.
  • It was the first time this season that Arkansas had not scored 20 points in any quarter.
• Arkansas entered the game hitting 10.1 3-pointers per game, with UK limiting the Razorbacks to 5-of-21 from 3 in the game.
  • The five 3s made tied the fewest 3s made by Arkansas this season in a game.
  • UK is 7-0 this season when its opponent makes five or less 3s.
• In the final two minutes of the game, Kentucky went on a 9-2 run to seal the victory.
• Kentucky went 29-of-58 in the game for 50 percent from the field.
  • It was the third time in the last four games that UK has shot over 50 percent from the field.
  • UK is 4-0 this season when it shoots over 50 percent.
• UK limited Arkansas to 39 percent from the field and is now 8-0 this season when it limits an opponent to 50 percent shooting or less.
  • UK is 8-0 this season when limiting opponents to 70 points or less.
• Kentucky had 22 second-chance points in the game, which was a season high for the Wildcats.
• The Wildcats had a season high eight blocks in the game.
• Kentucky had 15 assists in the game and has had 15 or more assists in three straight games.

 
Player Notes

• Junior guard Rhyne Howard scored a season-high 24 points, going 9-of-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3 with 10 rebounds, four assists and one block.

  • Howard has made 177 career 3s, which ranks tied for fourth most in school history with A’dia Mathies.
  • Howard has 1,275 career points as a Wildcat, which ranks her 21st all-time in scoring at UK.
    • She needs 43 points to tie Bria Goss for 20th.
  • This was the second double-double of the year for Howard and the 13th of her career.
  • In 66 career games, Howard has …
    • Hit at least one 3 in 59 career games, including six times this season.
    • Hit three or more 3s in 31 career games, including five times this season.
    • Scored 10+ points in 58 career games, including six times this season.
    • Scored 15+ points in 47 career games, including four times this season.
    • Scored 20+ points in 33 career games, including twice this season.
    • Led UK in scoring in 40 career games, including twice this season.
    • Led UK in rebounding in 35 career games, including three times this season.
• Junior guard Blair Green was huge in the game with 10 points, going 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3 with three blocks.  
  • The three blocks were a career high for Green.
  • Eight of her 10 points were scored in the fourth quarter, including a huge 3 late in the game.
• Senior forward KeKe McKinney scored 10 points with seven rebounds in the game.  
  • McKinney now has 94 career blocks ranking ninth most all-time in program history.
• Junior guard Jazmine Massengill scored five points points with three blocks in the game.  
  • The five points is a season high for Massengill.
  • All five points came in the fourth quarter, going 2-of-3 from the field with a 3.
  • All three of her assists were also in the fourth quarter.