Hoops tournament run ends
Kentucky’s Linnae Harper (15) comes up of the for the final time as the Wildcats fall to Baylor 90-72 during the NCAA women’s basketball Sweet Sixteen tournament game on Saturday, March 29, 2014, inside the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. (Photo by ROBERT FRANKLIN)
March 29, 2014
By Tyler Spanyer | UK Hoops beat writer
The Cats’ lack of offense and sloppy defense led to a 90-72 loss in the Sweet 16 to Baylor University.
“Certainly not the way we wanted our season to end,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “We looked like we weren’t prepared and that’s squarely on my shoulders.”
In the first half the UK made just three field goals in the first 11 minutes. The Cats were out-rebounded 15-2 to start the contest. UK used a 10-4 run in the middle of the half to pull within four points, but Baylor closed the half on a 19-8 run in the last six minutes. The Cats failed to convert on all but one of their 14 shots during that span.
“It was just a struggle today,” Mitchell said. “We did a lot of good things early, but we just didn’t rebound. We got in too deep a hole to get out of.”
Junior guard Jennifer O’Neill, who scored 43 points the last time these two teams met, went 0-for-9 from the field in the first half, including 0-for-4 from behind the arc.
In the second half, UK’s shooting woes continued as they struggled to get anything going offensively. The Cats shot just 35 percent for the game. UK came out with energy, but lost track of players defensively at times and did not seem in sync.
“There was nothing they did (offensively) that we weren’t prepared for,” Mitchell said. “And that’s my fault for not preparing them properly.”
Freshman guard Linnae Harper scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half, most of which came within a 12-7 UK run that that cut the lead to 13. A big three-pointer by Baylor junior guard Makenzie Robertson with the shot-clock winding down was the ultimate dagger. The Cats would not recover.
“They just playd better as a team,” Stallworth said. “That was the difference today.”
O’Neill led the Cats in scoring this season but scored just 8 points, all of which came from the free-throw line.
“I just didn’t make shots,” O’Neill said. “My teammates found me in good positions and I just couldn’t get anything going today.”
She finished the day with 12 misses from the field.
“Well when your leading scorer goes 0-for-12 from the field, That’s not a good recipe for advancing in this tournament,” Mitchell said.
Baylor was led by senior guard Odyssey Sims. She scored 18 of her 25 points in the first half and dished out seven assists in the win.
UK was led by Stallworth, who scored 19 points and grabbed eight boards in her final collegiate game. She ends her career along with guard Kastine Evans, guard Bernisha Pinkett and forward Samarie Walker.
“I’m so happy to be here,” said a choked-up Stallworth. “This season was not easy for us, but we stuck together. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I’m so proud to be a part of UK.”
