Kentucky Women Top Missouri

LEXINGTON – January 29, 2023

Four players scored in double figures on Sunday as the Kentucky women’s basketball team thumped Missouri 77-53 inside Memorial Coliseum.

Sophomore guard Jada Walker paced the Cats with 18 points while adding five assists. Walker had plenty of help from her teammates on Sunday. Blair Green had 14 points and five rebounds for UK, while Maddie Scherr had 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Robyn Benton also scored 13 for the Cats.

Kentucky (10-10, 2-7 SEC) used its pressure defense to force Missouri into 22 turnovers in the game and the Cats turned those miscues into 28 points. Meanwhile, the Cats turned it over just 13 times and Missouri turned those mistakes into just eight points.

Kentucky got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 9-3 lead early behind five points from Benton. Missouri would get within four, 11-7, before the Cats scored nine straight to open a 20-7 advantage. The Cats would lead 22-9 after one quarter.

In the second period, Kentucky would extend its lead early. UK got threes from Benton and Scherr to extend the lead to 28-9. But Missouri would clamp down on defense to get themselves back into the game. The Tigers used a 10-2 run to cut the UK lead to 30-19.

The Cats would close the half on a run of their own, scoring the final nine points of the half to take a 41-22 lead into the break. UK forced 17 turnovers in the first half and turned those into 20 points.

Kentucky’s onslaught continued in the third quarter as the Cats opened the period with an 8-3 run to lead 49-25. Missouri would fight back and eventually cut the UK lead to 56-39. However, Kentucky closed the third quarter with a 13-3 run to take a 69-42 advantage into the final period.

Both teams struggled to score in the fourth quarter, which allowed UK to maintain its lead

Missouri (14-8, 3-6) got a game-high 21 points from Hayley Frank.

Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, facing top-ranked South Carolina in Columbia. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.

Kentucky 77, Missouri 54 – FINAL  
   
Team Records and Series Notes   

• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 49th season with an 892-580 (.606) all-time record.    
  • The Wildcats are now 10-11 overall and 2-7 in the league.  
  • The Tigers are now 14-8 overall and 3-6 in the league. 
• Kyra Elzy is in her third season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 47-32 overall record.   
  • She has a 19-21 overall record in the SEC. 
• Kentucky leads the all-time meetings over Missouri, 11-5, in a series that began in 1989. 
  • Missouri has never defeated Kentucky on the road, holding a 0-7 record in Lexington. 
  • The Wildcats and the Tigers split in the regular season, 1-1. 
• The Wildcats will hit the road to play the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network. 

Team Notes   

• The last time Kentucky won an SEC game by 20 or more points was against Auburn (90-62) on Feb. 27, 2022, inside Memorial Coliseum. 
  • Kentucky is 6-3 this season when a game is decided by at least 16 points. 
  • Kentucky is 1-3 this season when a SEC game is decided by at least 16 points.  
• Kentucky used the starting combination Jada Walker, Maddie Scherr, Robyn Benton, Blair Green and Nyah Leveretter for the 15th game this season. UK is 7-8 using that starting combination.   
  • Missouri won the opening tip.  
  • Robyn Benton was the first player to score for Kentucky for the fifth time this season. 
  • Adebola Adeyeye was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky for the 12th time this season. 
• Kentucky led Missouri, 11-7, at the first media timeout (4:49), hitting 55.6 percent from the floor on 5-of-9 shooting, including 1-of-1 from the arc. 
  • The Tigers committed four turnovers in the first five minutes and 11 seconds of the game, allowing the Wildcats to score six points off those miscues.  
  • Out of the media timeout, Kentucky went on an 11-2 run to close out the first quarter. 
  • Kentucky led Missouri, 22-9, at the end of the first quarter. 
• Missouri had the first possession of the second quarter, but Maddie Scherr stole the ball and dished it out to Robyn Benton for a 3-pointer. On UM’s next possession, Jada Walker stole the ball, then Scherr drained a second-straight 3-pointer. Kentucky took a 28-9 lead over Missouri after that run, with eight minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter. 
  • The Tigers called a timeout, then went on a 10-2 run out of the break, including going 4-of-4 from the line. 
  • The Wildcats closed out the first half on an 11-2 run, which included a 9-0 series over the last two minutes and 39 seconds. 
  • Kentucky led Missouri, 41-22 at halftime. 
    • Twenty of Kentucky’s 41 points came off turnovers.  
• Robyn Benton scored on a jumper to open the second half, then the Tigers responded with a 3-pointer. 
  • On Kentucky’s next possession, Scherr dished it out to Walker for a 3-pointer. UK stretched that into a 6-0 series after Scherr knocked down three free throws on a fouled jumper behind the arc. 
  • UK and UM traded baskets over the next five minutes, before Kentucky would use the final two minutes and 37 seconds of the third quarter to produce an 8-0 run. 
  • Kentucky led Missouri, 69-42, at the end of the third quarter. 
• Scoring was back-and-forth in the fourth quarter, with neither team going on a run greater than two scores.  
  • The Wildcats were outscored by the Tigers, 12-8, in the final stanza. 
  • Kentucky defeated Missouri, 77-44. 
• The Wildcats shot 51.8 percent from the field on 29-of-56 shooting, while going 8-of-15 from behind the arc.  
  • The Wildcats have made at least six 3-pointers in six of their nine conference games this season. The Cats only accomplished that feat in four of their 12 nonconference games in 2022-23. 
  • Kentucky’s four starting guards scored in double digits this afternoon.  
    • UK improves to 3-1 when at least four players score in double digits this season. 
    • UK improves to 1-1 when at least four players score in double digits in SEC action this season.  
• Kentucky forced Missouri to commit 22, scoring 28 points off those miscues. 
  • Meanwhile, the Cats only turned the ball over 13 times, giving up just eight points from those errors.  
  • The Wildcats have won or tied the turnover battle in 15-of-21 games this season. 
  • The Wildcats have forced 13 of their 21 opponents into at least 20 turnovers.  

Player Notes   

• Sophomore guard Jada Walker led Kentucky with 18 points, while 10 of her 18 points came in the third quarter. 
  • It marked the sixth instance this season she has led UK in scoring.  
  • It marked the 16th game this season she has scored at least 10 points. 
  • It marked the 10th game this season she has scored at least 15 points. 
  • She added two rebounds and three steals. 
    • Walker, who leads the conference in steals, has had at least one steal in eight straight games. 
• Graduate guard Blair Green had 14 points and five rebounds. 
  • It marked the eighth game this season she has scored at least 10 points and the first since Jan. 1. 
  • The five rebounds are her most since grabbing seven at Minnesota on Dec. 7. 
    • It marked the fourth game this season she has grabbed at least five rebounds.  
  • She went 1-of-3 from the arc, marking the fourth straight game she has knocked down a 3-pointer.  
• Graduate guard Robyn Benton had 13 points. 
  • She has scored in double digits in all 20 games she has played in this season. 
  • She made at least one 3-pointer for the 15th straight game. 
  • She went 3-of-5 from long range, marking the third time this season she has made at least three 3-pointers in a game. 
  • She added four steals, all of which were in the first quarter, a career-high three blocks, two rebounds and two assists. 
• Junior guard Maddie Scherr had 13 points.  
  • She has scored at least 10 points in seven straight games. 
  • She added five rebounds, eight assists, three steals and one block. 
    • She leads Kentucky with an active streak of 12 straight games recording at least one steal. 
    • She has dished out at least three assists in 19 of 21 games this season. 
      • She has dished out at least eight assists in four games this season. 
    • She has blocked at least one shot in four straight games. 
• Junior forward Nyah Leveretter led Kentucky with six rebounds, including three offensive rebounds and three defensive rebounds. 
  • She added eight points, on 3-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line, and one block. 
  • She has made at least six rebounds in seven games this season, including the last two straight.  

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