Team Records and Series Notes
– UK ended its nonconference slate with an 81-39 victory over Tennessee State University. The Wildcats held an opponent under 40 points for the third time this season.
– Kentucky has won 56 consecutive regular season non-conference games inside Memorial Coliseum, dating back to Dec. 19, 2008 vs. Alabama A&M.
– With the victory, UK moves to 11-0 on the season. The record ties the best start that the Wildcats have ever had in a season, matching those of the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons.
– The meeting was the sixth meeting between the two programs, with Kentucky retaining an unblemished record against the Lady Tigers.
– Matthew Mitchell is in his ninth season with Kentucky and the win moves him to 235-110 overall, including a 205-81 record while at Kentucky.
– The attendance for the game was 5,586, a season high inside Memorial Coliseum.
Team Notes
– Kentucky had six players (Evelyn Akhator, Makayla Epps, Alexis Jennings, Maci Morris, Taylor Murray, Janee Thompson) with double-digit scoring figures, marking the fourth time this season that five or more players have scored 10 or more points and the first time that six have scored at least 10 points. Additionally, it is the first time that all five starters scored in double digits.
– The Wildcats notched nine blocks, matching the season best for rejections in the game against Morehead State.
– UK had a staunch advantage in points off turnovers, 27-3, rebounds, 46-36, points in paint, 40-20, and bench points, 23-3.
– The Wildcats shot 32-of-68 from the field for 47.1%, while holding Tennessee State to 26.7% on 16-of-60 shooting. It marked the fourth time this season that UK has held a team to under 30% from the field, the others being against Rice (26.8%), Morehead State (25.6%) and Jackson State (15.6%).
– UK ended the first period with a 14-0 run starting at 3:20. The Wildcats held a 27-9 advantage after the opening stanza.
– The run extended to 20-0 through the 5:58 mark in the second period, a total of 7:22 of scoreless play for TSU. It marked the 14th run of 10-or-more points for the Wildcats this season.
– All 20 points of that run, plus an additional two points after the run was ended, were scored solely by the UK freshmen: Batouly Camara, Morris and Murray.
– UK led by 38-17 at the half.
– The Wildcats allowed just one field goal in the first 6:40 of the third period, going on a 13-3 run overall.
– UK held TSU under 10 points in three of the four periods, with 13 points in the fourth period being the most that the Tigers scored in a period.
Individual Notes
– Evelyn Akhator recorded the fourth double-double of her career, leading UK scorers with 14 points and 13 rebounds to go with two blocks and two steals.
– Taylor Murray had 13 points to tie her career high, going a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
– Maci Morris added 13 points, two blocks and a steal. Morris has hit at least one 3-pointer in each of UK’s 11 games.
– Makayla Epps chipped in 11 points and four assists.
– Janee Thompson scored all 10 of her points in the second half, with a flawless 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc to go with four assists.
– Alexis Jennings had 10 points and was just shy of a double-double with eight rebounds, along with two blocks.
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