Wildcats, Crimson Tide Square Off in SEC Tournament Second Round
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The 14th-seeded University of Kentucky women’s basketball program will play No. 6 Alabama in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament Second Round on Thursday, March 2 at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network, with Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck on the call.
Kentucky advanced to the second round of the league tournament after defeating 11th-seeded Florida on Wednesday, 72-57. The Wildcats outrebounded the Gators, 45-39, and led the Gators in second-chance points (16-9), points off turnovers (17-16), points in the paint (38-32) and fastbreak points (17-6). The Cats shot 44.3 percent from the floor on 27-of-61 shooting, while knocking down just three shots from long range.
In that matchup, graduate forward Adebola Adeyeye recorded her second double-double of the season on 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Kentucky improved to a 42-42 all-time record in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. With Kentucky’s win over Florida in the first round, Kentucky has won five straight games in the tournament, which is the longest streak in program history. Moreover, this is the fourth straight season that Kentucky has won at least one game in the tournament. In fact, UK has won at least one game in the tournament in 13 of the last 14. Wildcat head coach Kyra Elzy has a 6-1 all-time record in the SEC Tournament. Her 6-1 start in the tournament is the best start for a UK head coach in program history.
Robyn Benton led Kentucky with 20 points in the game against Florida. The Conyers, Georgia, native wrapped up the regular season ranked fifth in the league in both points per game (16.7) and points per game in conference action (17.1). The guard is averaging 16.8 points per game after her performance against Florida. Sophomore Jada Walker (12.6) and junior Maddie Scherr (11.3) are also averaging double-digit scoring overall this season.
Walker ended the regular season as the SEC leader in steals (68), while she now boasts 71. Scherr ended the regular season as one of only two players in the league to have at least 110 assists (110) and 55 steals (55), while she now owns 116 assist and 56 steals. Kentucky also produced the first-, second- and third-best free-throw shooters in the conference to conclude the regular season, including Scherr (1st, 91.8%), Walker (2nd, 83.0) and Benton (3rd, 82.5).
Darren Headrick will have the call on the UK Sports Network on 630AM WLAP in Lexington for the sixth straight season. Free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com and live stats will be available online at KentuckyStats.com.
