Kentucky-Lipscomb Postgame Notes

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY VS. LIPSCOMB
THURSDAY, DEC. 21, 2023
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER – LEXINGTON, KY.
 

Kentucky 87, Lipscomb 80 – FINAL
 
Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 6-7 in 2023-24, while Lipscomb is 6-6 this season.
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 50th season.
  • UK has a 900-595 (.602) all-time record.
    • UK’s 900 program wins ranks among the top 50 in Division I, No. 26 among Power 5 teams and sixth among SEC teams.
• Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 55-47 (.539) overall record.
• Kentucky remains the leader in the series with Lipscomb, 3-0, including 2-0 in Lexington.
• Kentucky will play host to Samford on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. ET at the Clive M. Beck Center on the campus of Transylvania University.
  • The game will be televised on the SEC Network+.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Brooklynn Miles, Cassidy Rowe, Maddie Scherr, Emma King and Ajae Petty for the second straight game and the second time this season
  • • UK is 2-0 when using that starting combination.
  • The Wildcats won the opening tip.
  • Brooklynn Miles was the first player to score for Kentucky.
  • Saniah Tyler and Amiya Jenkins were the first substitutes off the bench for Kentucky.
    • Amiya Jenkins made her return to action after a five-game hiatus because of a shoulder injury.
• Kentucky defeated Lipscomb, 87-80.
  • Kentucky’s 87 points were a season high.
    • UK had 31 points in the fourth quarter, which is the most points it has scored in any quarter this season.
      • UK shot 78.6 percent in the fourth quarter on 11-of-14.
    • UK has had its best two bench point games of the season this week, with a previous season-high 31 against Furman last Sunday and a new season-high 42 against Lipscomb today.
    • UK has had its best two points of turnovers games of the season this week, with a previous season-high 25 against Furman last Sunday and a new season-high 27 against Lipscomb today.
  • Kentucky has a 382-26 (.936) record all-time when scoring 80 points or more.
    • Kentucky is 3-0 when scoring at least 80 points in 2023-24.
• UK has had its best two shooting games of the season this week, including its season-high .544 (31-57) against Furman last Sunday and its second-best .525 (31-59) against Lipscomb today.
  • UK made eight 3-pointers against Lipscomb, which tied for a season high, too.
• The Wildcats had a season-best, 13-point comeback win to defeat the Bisons, after being down, 41-28, in the second quarter.
  • This season, the Cats have overcome a nine-point deficit (vs. ETSU, Nov. 7) and now a 13-point deficit (vs. Lipscomb, Dec. 21).
• For the first time since 2015, Kentucky produced three 20+ point scorers in the game (Maddie Scherr (25), Saniah Tyler (22), Amiya Jenkins (20)).
  • The last time that happened was against Morehead on Nov. 18, 2015 (Alexis Jennings (28), Janee Thompson (22), Makayla Epps (21)).
  • Two of UK’s 20+ point scorers came off the bench in Tyler and Jenkins.
    • The last time at least one player came off the bench to score 20+ points was Robyn Benton (21) at Texas A&M on Feb. 23, 2023.

How It Happened

• Despite Kentucky leading Lipscomb, 8-4, several minutes into the game, the Wildcats trailed the Bisons, 11-8, at the first media timeout (4:45). The Cats struggled to find a rhythm on offense to start the game, going just 3-of-10 from the field by the timeout.
  • Out of the timeout, Maddie Scherr snapped Lipscomb’s 7-0 scoring run with a floater to get within one point of a tied game.
    • Including Scherr’s make, Kentucky went on to go 3-of-3 from the field to get within two points, 14-16 (3:06).
  • Lipscomb then went on another 7-0 scoring run, which was at last capped by a successful Brooklynn Miles and-1 (:52).
    • Saniah Tyler tacked on a long jumper, as the Cats crafted a 6-2 run down the stretch.
  • Lipscomb led Kentucky, 25-20, at the end of the first quarter.
• Kentucky came out of the break stretching its 6-2 run into a 14-6 run, again getting within one point of a tied game, 28-29 (7:38).
  • Lipscomb stretched back out in front again with a 12-0 run and keeping Kentucky scoreless for more than five minutes during that time.
    • Lipscomb led Kentucky, 41-28, at this time (2:35).
  • Amiya Jenkins snapped the Cats’ scoring drought with a 3-pointer at 2:15.
    • In fact, Kentucky made three 3-pointers down the stretch to chip away at its deficit – two by Amiya Jenkins and a buzzer beater before the half by Maddie Scherr.
  • Lipscomb led Kentucky, 46-37, at halftime.
• The Bisons used their precise scoring to stretch their lead right out of the half, 51-38, at 7:53, but the Wildcats responded to that deficit with a 7-0 run to begin chipping away.
  • The Wildcats tried to use a couple different runs and the charity stripe to form a comeback, as the Cats got within four points a couple different times down the stretch in the third quarter.
  • Lipscomb led Kentucky, 63-56, at the end of the third quarter.
    • The Wildcats outscored the Bisons, 19-17, in the third quarter, the first period they did so in the game.
• Kentucky’s 17-6 scoring run to open the fourth quarter at last put Blue and White on top, 73-69, with 4:33 remaining in the game.

• • That was a lead that they would maintain for the remainder of the game, as the Wildcats scored a season-high 31 points in the third quarter on 78.6 from the field (11-of-14) and 100.0 from long range (3-of-3)
  • Kentucky defeated Lipscomb, 87-80.

Player Notes

• Maddie Scherr, a senior guard, led Kentucky with a season-high tying 25 points.
  • It marked the third game this season and the seventh game in her career she has led Kentucky in scoring.
  • It marked the third game this season and the sixth game in her career she has eclipsed 20 points.
  • It marked the third straight game she has made at least two 3-pointers in a game.
  • She added five rebounds, a team-lead seven assists and a team-lead three steals.
    • It marked the fifth time this season and the 51st time in her career she has dished out at least three assists.
    • It marked the sixth time this season and the 16th time in her career she has made at least two steals.
• Saniah Tyler, a sophomore guard, had a career-high 22 points.
  • She has reset her career high in scoring in back-to-back games (previously it was 17 points, which she scored against Furman last Sunday).
  • Included in her 22 points are her three 3-pointers.
    • It marked the second straight game, the sixth game this season and also the sixth game in her career she has made at least three 3-pointers in a game.
  • She added two steals and one rebound.
• Amiya Jenkins, a sophomore guard, returned to action after a five-game hiatus, scoring a career-high 20 points on 9-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from the arc.
  • It marked the first 20-point game of her career, while it marked just the third 15+ point game of her career.

She added four rebounds and a block.