Kentucky Falls to Arkansas on New Year’s Day
Blair Green scored 14 points but the Kentucky women’s basketball team lost to No. 24/23 Arkansas 71-50 on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum. Jada Walker added 13 points for the Cats, while Maddie Scherr had eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds for UK. Kentucky (8-6, 0-2 SEC) was without leading scorer Robyn Benton, who missed the game with a hand injury and Benton’s absence hurt UK’s offensive effort. The Cats made just 17 of 65 (26.2 percent) of their shots, including just two of 14 (14.3 percent) from behind the arc. Kentucky also committed 23 turnovers in the contest.
RV/RV Cardinals Comeback Bid Falls Short at RV/RV Duke, 63-56
The RV/RV Louisville women’s basketball team battled all afternoon but could not overcome its early deficit and fell, 63-56, to Duke Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Cardinals (11-5, 2-1) got within two twice in the final quarter but a late Blue Devils (13-1, 3-0) run was the difference. Hailey Van Lith led all scorers with 23 points, shot 11-for-21 from the field and had four rebounds in the loss. It was her second-straight 20-point game and the ninth time she has scored 20 or more this season. Chrislyn Carr had eight points with two threes as Olivia Cochran added eight points and five boards.
Dominant Fourth Pushes Racers Past Valpo
The Murray State women’s basketball team improved to 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 67-48 win over Valparaiso Sunday afternoon at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
Morgan Leads MSU New Year’s Day Victory at Evansville
The Murray State Racers enjoyed their best start of the season on New Year’s Day with a 78-61 romp over the Evansville Purple Aces at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The win for the Racers (8-6) improved their mark to 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference as they host the Bradley Braves Wednesday (Jan. 4). The Racers also put the brakes on a two-game losing skid as they scored their second road win of the season. Seven different MSU players scored and were led by Justin Morgan with 15 points, while Rob Perry and Jamari Smith scored 14 each. Kenny White, Jr., and Quincy Anderson added 11 and 10 points.
Govs face Queens in inaugural ASUN contest
Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team tips off its inaugural ASUN Conference campaign against fellow league newcomer Queens in a 5 p.m. (CT), Tuesday contest at Curry Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Governors (5-5) ended nonconference play with wins against Murray State and UNC Asheville to return to .500 on the season. Graduate students Yamia Johnson and Mariah Adams lead Austin Peay in scoring with 12.5 and 10.2 points per game, respectively. Johnson also leads the ASUN and ranks 17th nationally with a .919 free-throw percentage. Queens (5-6) enters Monday’s contest after defeating USC Upstate, 69-48, in their nonconference finale, Dec. 20. In addition to this being their first season it also is the Royals’ first Division I, as they previously were members of the DII South Atlantic Conference.
>>College Basketball Roundup
(Undated) — Vanderbilt blew out Southeastern Louisiana 93-55 in college basketball action. The Commodores are now 7-and-6 and will host South Carolina tomorrow night. Memphis fell to Tulane 96-89. The Tigers are now 11-and-4 and will host East Carolina next weekend. Number-17 Kentucky crushed Louisville 86-63. The Wildcats improved to 9-and-4 and will host LSU tomorrow. The Cardinals dropped to 2-and-12 and welcome Syracuse to Louisville tomorrow. Number-10 Tennessee recently beat Ole Miss. The Vols improved to 11-and-2 and will host Number-20 Mississippi State tomorrow.