Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)
The seventh-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols handed the Kentucky Wildcats their sixth straight loss with a 63-49 victory on Sunday afternoon. The game was the first of three that the Wildcats will play at Rupp Arena this season.
Matthew Mitchell is still trying to figure out how to get his Wildcats beyond this recent losing skid. Once again, Kentucky shot poorly from the field, only hitting 20-of-66 shots for 30 percent.
Kentucky was led in scoring by junior guard Maci Morris, who returned to action in the second quarter after suffering a cut near her left eye. Morris poured in a game-high 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-8 from three-point range.
Morris was the only Wildcat that could buy a basket. Junior guard Taylor Murray struggled mightily, knocking down only 2-of-12 shots to finish with just four points. Junior Makenzie Cann, one of the Wildcats best shooters, also struggled to find her shot, hitting only 1 of her 8 attempts.
The Wildcats struggled out of the gate, as Tennessee built a 26-7 lead after the opening quarter. Kentucky attempted to rally the rest of the way and outscored Tennessee over the final three quarters but the slow start was too much to overcome.
Despite forcing twenty-one Tennessee turnovers, Kentucky only converted those opportunities into eight points. Tennessee’s size was also a factor and impacted the game in all areas. The Lady Vols held a 50-31 advantage on the glass with much of that being a result of poor shooting from Kentucky.
The loss drops Kentucky to 8-7 and 0-1 in SEC play. After starting the season 6-0, the Wildcats are now in the midst of a six-game losing streak. They will look to get things right with a road trip to No. 22 Texas A&M on Thursday.
