Women’s Basketball: Kentucky Falls to 9-9 in Close Loss at LSU

Dre’Una Edwards returned to the court today, getting Kyra Elzy’s Kentucky Wildcats close to 100%. With the return of Edwards, the Wildcats were only without Robyn Benton and Jasmine Massengill in Baton Rouge as Benton continues to heal from an ankle injury and Massengill handles a concussion.

With close to a full roster, Kentucky went into today’s game with a confidence that they have not had in a long time. This confidence was evident throughout Sunday’s matchup between the Wildcats and Tigers as the 9-8 ’Cats kept the game close the entire 40 minutes. In fact, Kentucky had a lead going into the halftime locker room.

Statistically, Kentucky held their own against LSU with a better field goal percentage, more rebounds, and more blocks. In a close game, getting more opportunities to score often times dictates who takes home the victory. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they were on the wrong side of that statistic with 18 turnovers compared to just 9 for LSU.

LSU got some excellent backcourt play from seniors Khayla Pointer and Alexis Morris, scoring 28 and 20 respectively. The talented duo made all five of the Tigers’ three point field goals. In fact, they were the only two players to attempt a three for LSU.

Even with Sunday’s loss, Kentucky did get two impressive performances out of Jada Walker and Rhyne Howard. Walker finished the day with 21 points, including 4-5 shooting from three. Meanwhile, Howard tallied another double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. With her 23 points, Howard moved into second place on the all-time scoring list in Kentucky history.

As the team continues to disappoint, a silver lining in this season has been the records and accolades that Howard is receiving. Is Rhyne Howard the greatest to ever put on the Kentucky jersey? If her team was playing better, that question would probably be raised more often.