Kentucky Rallies Past Mississippi State on Thursday
Trailing with just over six minutes to play, the Kentucky women’s basketball team went on a 19-0 run, turning a nine-point deficit into a 78-68 win at Mississippi State on Thursday night.
Kentucky used pressure defense, specifically in the fourth quarter, to rally for its first road win of the season. The Cats forced nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and turned those into 10 points.
Saniah Tyler had a big night for Kentucky, tying her career high with 22 points. The sophomore from Florissant, Missouri, made 7 of 10 from the floor, including 6 of 8 from behind the arc and two of two from the line for her 22 points. Ajae Petty recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Kentucky got 14 points from Eniya Russell and 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds from Maddie Scherr.
Mississippi State jumped out to an 8-2 lead early in the game. The Cats would get closer on a Scherr three, but MSU scored six of the next eight to lead 14-7. Later in the period, the Bulldogs would lead 21-14 before Kentucky went on a run, sparked by a quartet of three-pointers from Saniah Tyler, the last of which gave UK a 25-22 lead. The Cats closed the quarter on a 13-1 run and would hold a 27-22 advantage after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Kentucky got layups from Petty and Amiya Jenkins to extend the lead to 31-22. The Cats would lead 35-26 before MSU scored eight in a row to close the half, making it 35-34 at the half.
Mississippi State came out hot in the third quarter, scoring the first nine points of the period to take a 43-35 lead. Kentucky answered with a 12-5 run to get within one, 48-47. But MSU would score the next seven points to lead 55-47. The Bulldogs would lead 63-54 after three periods.
Kentucky would get within seven points early in the fourth quarter, but MSU would lead 68-59. That’s when the Cats made their run. Layups from Russell and Petty got the Cats within five. A Jenkins basket cut it to 68-65. Then Tyler hit a driving layup and a three and Russell hit a driving layup, giving UK a 72-68 lead with 2:46 to play. A pair of Tyler free throws made it 74-68.
The UK defense continued to hound MSU and the run continued. Petty scored on a putback and Russell hit a pair of free throws to make it 78-68, closing the 19-0 run.
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday, hosting top-ranked South Carolina at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
