Kentucky Falls at No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday
Robyn Benton scored 24 points but the Kentucky women’s basketball team lost at No. 1 South Carolina 87-69 on Thursday night at Colonial Life Arena. Benton did a lot of her damage at the line, making 13 of her 14 free throw attempts. She had four steals, two blocked shots, two rebounds and an assist in the game. Kentucky (10-12, 2-8 SEC) got 11 points from both Blair Green and Maddie Scherr. South Carolina (22-0, 10-0) used its superior size to outscore Kentucky 62-14 in the paint. The Gamecocks grabbed 50 rebounds to just 32 for the Cats.
Lady Toppers Pull Away Late for Win at UTSA
WKU women’s basketball (12-9, 9-3 C-USA) survived another close game, downing UTSA (5-16, 3-9 C-USA), 73-67, in a game that featured 11 lead changes and 10 ties. WKU has won eight of the last nine games including three straight and are in second place in the Conference USA standings. Alexis Mead led WKU in scoring with 19 points, going 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Jaylin Foster put up 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Karris Allen notched a career high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three. The Lady Toppers tied the school record for 3-pointers made in a game with 14. WKU has tied the record twice this season and four times in the last two seasons. WKU had just nine turnovers in the game, the second fewest for the team all season. The Lady Toppers held an opponent below 70 points for the third straight game. WKU is 8-3 this season when holding teams below 70 and 62-15 under Collins when doing so.
Allen Shines in Hilltoppers’ 81-74 Victory over UTSA
In his first start of his collegiate career, redshirt junior Dontaie Allen led the Hilltoppers to an 81-74 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners at home in E.A. Diddle Arena on Thursday night. Allen turned in a career night of 22 points – including 12 from the 3-point line – seven boards, three assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action.
Fourth Quarter Surge Pushes Bruins Past Racers
The Murray State women’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle with rival Belmont, 64-54, Thursday night at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Macey Turley led three Racers in double-figures in the game with 18, while Katelyn Young added 15 and Hannah McKay chipped in with 11 to go along with nine rebounds. Katelyn Young notched her eighth double-double of the season by adding a game-high 15 boards to go along with her 15 points. The Racers were outshot 39.7-percent to 28.8-percent and were outscored in the paint, 30-18.
Efficiency paves way to governing win against Knights
Austin Peay State University women’s basketball team tied the program record for its fewest turnovers in a game and shot over 45 percent from both the field and beyond the arc in a 72-52 ASUN Conference victory against Bellarmine, Thursday, at Freedom Hall. Austin Peay’s (13-7, 8-2 ASUN) five turnovers are the fewest in a road game in program history and match a 2007 contest against Southeast Missouri for the fewest in any game in program history. The Governors earned their second-straight wire-to-wire win and outscored Bellarmine (7-16, 3-7 ASUN) in all four quarters.
Govs dialed in from three-point range but unable to hold off Liberty
Austin Peay State University men’s basketball team outshot one of the nation’s top three-point shooting squads from behind the arc, but the Governors were unable to hold off Liberty and dropped an ASUN Conference contest, 82-70, on Military Appreciation Day, Thursday, in the Winfield Dunn Center. Austin Peay (8-16, 2-9 ASUN) hit 11 three-pointers – its fifth game with double-digit threes this season – and shot 50 percent from three-point range. Liberty (19-5, 10-1 ASUN), a team that entered the contest ranked fourth in the NCAA with 11.3 made three-pointers per game, made just six threes – its second-lowest single-game total of the season – and shot 37.5 percent from behind the arc. Cameron Copeland drilled a pair of three-pointers to lead Austin Peay with a season-high 19 points. Drew Calderon hit a trio of three-pointers and added 16 more points while Carlos Paez connected twice from three-point range and rounded out the Govs in double-figures with 12 points. Liberty was led in scoring by Darius McGhee with 18 points. Shiloh Robinson added 16 more points for Liberty while Kyle Rode and Blake Preston each scored 12 points. Joseph Venzant also recorded 10 points to round out the Flames that scored in double-figures.
>>College Basketball Roundup
(Undated) — Number-2 Tennessee will host 23rd-ranked Auburn in the afternoon. The Cardinals are 3-and-19 and will play host to Florida State. The Wildcats improved to 15-and-7 and will host Florida. The Commodores dropped to 10-and-12 and welcome Ole Miss to Nashville. The Tigers improved to 17-and-5 and will host Tulane.
Three UK Signees Named Finalists for Player of the Year
Kentucky men’s basketball signees Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner have been named semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy High School Player of the Year, awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Bradshaw and Wagner are five-star prospects suiting up for Camden High School. Bradshaw is averaging 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior, while Wagner is generating 21.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Edwards is also a five-star prospect and plays for Philadelphia Imhotep Institute Charter High School which is ranked among the top-10 programs in the nation. Edwards is the first player from the Philadelphia public league since 1993 to be named a McDonald’s All American. Ron Mercer is the lone former Wildcat to win the high school honor after a stellar senior season with Oak Hill Academy in 1995. Bradshaw is ranked as high as the No. 4 overall player in the class by both 247Sports and ESPN. Edwards is ESPN’s No. 1 ranked player in the 2023 class. Wagner is rated as high as No. 2 by ESPN.
Adebayo, Gilgeous-Alexander, Randle Named 2023 NBA All-Stars
Three Kentucky men’s basketball alumni in Bam Adebayo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Julius Randle were named to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. Adebayo and Randle will make their second-career appearances, while Gilgeous-Alexander was selected for the first time.