Kentucky-Louisville Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. #18/18 LOUISVILLE
SUNDAY, DEC. 10, 2023
KFC YUM! CENTER – LOUISVILLE, KY.
 

#18/18 Louisville 73, Kentucky 61 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 4-7 in 2023-24, while Louisville is 9-1 this season.
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 50th season.
  • UK has an 898-595 (.602) all-time record, just two wins away from 900.
• Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 53-47 (.530) overall record.
• Kentucky remains the leader in the all-time series with Kentucky, 34-25.
  • Louisville remains the leader in the all-time series in games played in Louisville, 17-11.
• Kentucky will play host to Furman on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
  • The game will be televised on the SEC Network+.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Brooklynn Miles, Maddie Scherr, Saniah Tyler, Emma King and Ajae Petty for the second time this season.
  • • UK is 1-1 when using that starting combination.
  • Kentucky won the opening tip.
  • Brooklynn Miles was the first player to score for Kentucky.
  • Cassidy Rowe was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky.
• Kentucky shot 45.5 percent from the field (25-of-55) and 33.3 percent from the arc (7-of-21).
  • The Wildcats shot above 50.0 percent in both the first quarter and the fourth quarter.
• The Wildcats and the Cardinals tied in paint points, 34-34.

How It Happened

• Kentucky trailed Louisville by just one point at the media timeout, 3:40, after Maddie Scherr’s back-to-back scores on a 3-pointer and fastbreak layup.
  • UK and UofL shot at least 50.0 percent through the first stretch, but each team turned the ball over three teams apiece already, with each team scoring four points off those miscues.
  • Out of the timeout, UofL hit back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch its lead to 18-11 (1:29).
    • However, Scherr continued her personal scoring with a jumper and another 3-pointer to get the Cats within two points of the Cards.
  • Kentucky trailed Louisville, 18-16, at the end of the first quarter.
• The Wildcats stretched their scoring run to 7-0 right out of the quarter break after Emma King kicked it out to Saniah Tyler for a driving layup to tie the game 18-18.
  • Despite the Cardinals regaining the lead on their next possession, so did the Wildcats.
    • Saniah Tyler knocked down a 3-pointer near the buzzer on Kentucky’s second possession of the second quarter to take a 21-20 lead (8:26).
  • Scoring was back-and-forth through the first media timeout (3:45), with the teams tied at 25-25.
  • Louisville knocked down a FT out of the media timeout, from a shooting foul prior to the break, to take a one-point lead.
    • However, Ajae Petty swiped in a layup on Kentucky’s very next possession to regain the one-point lead, 27-26 (3:16).
  • Both teams went scoreless for the next two minutes.
    • UofL snapped that streak at 1:03, with a layup off an UK turnover.
  • Kentucky trailed Louisville, 28-27, at halftime.
• It was back-and-forth scoring to start the third quarter, but a pair of 3-pointers by Emma King and Maddie Scherr put the Cats in front of the Cards, 35-34, by the media timeout at 6:54.
  • Just before the second media timeout, Janae Walker had back-to-back layups, as the Cats stretched to a 39-36 lead (4:47), with one assisted by Cassidy Rowe and the other by Emma King.
  • Out of the timeout, Kentucky experienced a scoring drought that lasted for more than three minutes, allowing Louisville to go on an 8-0 run, making four of its five shots from the field.
    • Kentucky’s scoring drought stretched to more than five minutes down the stretch, making just FTs during that time, until Ajae Petty snapped the drought with an old-fashioned 3-point play with two seconds on the clock.
  • The Wildcats trailed the Cardinals, 50-46, at the end of the third quarter.
• UofL let a 3-pointer fly to stretch its lead to start the third quarter. It was the start of a 9-2 run for the team in red, creating a 13-point lead, 59-46, that made it hard for Blue to overcome (6:44).
  • After the timeout, Kentucky began to find some rhythm to get back into the game. It wound up making four of four shots from the field to get within five points, 66-61, with a minute remaining.
  • The Wildcats tried to increase their time of possession, fouling the Cardinals down the stretch, but the Cats came up short, falling to the Cards, 73-61.

Player Notes

• Maddie Scherr, a senior guard, led Kentucky in points (22), 3-pointers (4) steals (3) and blocks (1).
  • She has led her team in scoring in two games this season and six games in her career.
    • It marked her second 20+ point game this season and the fifth of her career.
    • It marked her sixth 10+ point game this season and the 27th of her career.
  • She has made at least three 3-pointers in two games this season and seven games in her career.
    • She has made at least one 3-pointer in three straight games.
  • She has led her team in steals in four games this season and 14 games in her career.
    • She had made at least two steals in three games this season.
  • She added five rebounds and two assists.
• Ajae Petty, a senior forward, had 18 points and led the team with 10 rebounds.
  • It marked her third straight double-double, while it marked her sixth double-double this season and the eighth of her career.
  • It marked her seventh game this season and the ninth game of her career has scored at least 15+ points.
  • It marked her ninth game this season and the 19th game of her career she has scored 10+ points.
  • It marked her 10th game this season and the 21st game of her career she has led her team in rebounds.
    • It marked the sixth game this season and the eighth games of her career she has grabbed 10+ rebounds.
  • She added two steals, a block and an assist.
    • It marked the third straight game she has made at least one steal.
• Janae Walker, a freshman forward, had a career-high six points on a career best 3-of-4 from the field.
  • She added one rebound.
• Emma King, a graduate guard, led the team with a career-high six assists and added five points.
  • She added five points on 2-of-3 from the field.