UK Hoops sweeps November games to set record

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Senior guard Amani Franklin fights for a basket against Bellarmine at Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 9. Photo by Scott Hannigan | Staff

By Nick Craddock

While many people tasted the succulent flavors Thanksgiving has to offer, the UK women’s basketball team tasted victory for the fifth and sixth time last week. The latter victory proved to be something special.

The Cats’ sixth win, a dominating 85-50 rout over McNeese State on Saturday, set a new school record for the most wins in November. The previous record was held by the 1984-85 UK team that posted five wins.

With the perfect 6-0 start to the season, UK head coach Matthew Mitchell certainly has had plenty to give thanks for with his team enjoying the best start since 2005-06 and the best start in his tenure as UK’s coach.

“Anytime that we can do anything special reflects how the players prepared in August and September and were ready to go in November is great,” Mitchell said. “(The team) had six games put on the schedule for them and they made the most of it…What I have liked is that the players have played hard.”

UK has won every one of its games by double figures and rarely has had to play from behind. When the Cats do trail, the energy they have brought to each game has been able to compensate for some offensive sluggishness that some veteran players have experienced.

One such player is slumping senior guard Amani Franklin, who shot nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc last season, but has struggled this year with an 18 percent 3-point shooting percentage.

“I’m struggling (with my 3-point shooting), but it’s going to come, it’s just a matter of staying focused and knowing that the next one will go in,” Franklin said. “(I) try to score and help in other ways like maybe off of offensive rebounds.”

Franklin believes her offensive troubles aren’t of any major concern amidst the win streak, the best start she’s ever enjoyed during her collegiate career.

“We want to make it to the NCAA tournament, my senior class, and the juniors as well we haven’t been to the NCAA tournament,” Franklin said. “We’re not trying to settle for the NIT. We know we’re a better team than that, we know we’re an NCAA tournament-type team.”

But before the calendar rolls over to March, the Cats enter December with the possibility of breaking yet another record: the 9-0 start UK charted in 1980-81

However, neither Mitchell nor his players are looking past a 1-4 Miami of Ohio team that the Cats host Tuesday as the next step in continuing their undefeated start.

“I expected us to start off really well, I mean I wouldn’t say I expected us to start off 6-0, which is obviously a good thing and I’m proud of our team, but that’s not something we pride ourselves on,” said junior forward Victoria Dunlap. “We want to win games but it doesn’t matter if we’re 6-0, we’re just going to go out and play hard.”