UK Hoops force 41 turnovers in exhibition win over Eckerd College
November 4, 2013
By Tyler Spanyer | UK Hoops beat writer
UK Hoops used their stifling defense and a strong offensive performance from senior forward DeNesha Stallworth to cruise to an 83-35 exhibition victory over Eckerd College on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum.
“It was great to get back in Memorial Coliseum today,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “I really liked the effort the team had today and like I said, it was just great to get back out there.”
In the first half, the No. 7 Cats forced 21 turnovers, including nine in the first four minutes. The Cats capitalized on those Triton mistakes, scoring 23 of their 33 first-half points off turnovers.
The second half continued the trend for the Cats as they kept up the full-court pressure, forcing 20 more turnovers for a total of 41 for the game.
Stallworth led the scoring for the Cats, tallying 17 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, while grabbing a team-high six rebounds.
“It was good to get out there and play against someone other than ourselves,” Stallworth said.
Cats senior forward Samarie Walker scored 12 points and tied Stallworth’s rebounding total with six.
UK Hoops senior guard Kastine Evans had six assists in the game to go with her seven points.
Cats freshman guard Makayla Epps scored 10 points, includng two three-point shots. The overwhelming victory didn’t mean there were not some blemishes for the Cats.
“Well obviously this is a progression of sorts,” Mitchell said. “But we need to keep working on certain defensive aspects, such as straight line drives to the basket and back door cuts. They (Eckerd) really hurt us there.”
One of the Cats’ issues seemed to be outside shooting, shooting 14.8 percent from behind the arc for the game. The Cats coughed up the ball themselves 17 times against a Division II squad that dressed eight players.
The Cats will open their season up at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Friday at 7 p.m. “We have to be prepared to face a good team,” Mitchell said. “Eckerd gave us some good things to build on today.”
