Kentucky guard Maddie Scherr kept up the intensity throughout all four quarters of Sunday’s 61-44 loss against the Texas A&M Aggies (17-6).
Both teams dressed in pink in honor of the Kay Yow Foundation and, with the home-court advantage, the Wildcats had the fans in Rupp Arena on their feet.
The senior remained in head coach Kyra Elzy’s starting lineup once again, marking her 14th consecutive start since sitting out two games at the beginning of December after concussion protocol left her sidelined against Tennessee Tech and Minnesota.
She started the game off strong by sinking a 3-pointer just seconds into the first quarter.
Her passing with teammate Cassidy Rowe got the Wildcats around the defense, but their shots were not dropping.
Scherr only racked up six points to close out the first quarter, but that number seemed to only decrease as the game went on.
Where she struggled in scoring, her ability to find open pockets on the court proved to be beneficial as she assisted teammate Emma King for a quick 3-pointer.
The Wildcats were able to put up 12 points to tie the game 24-24 by the half, but the Aggies’ defense came back stronger in the third quarter.
Having yet to be taken out of the game, Scherr started to look uncomfortable on the court.
She keeps the aggression up despite the frustration of her many shots bouncing off the rim and back into Texas A&M’s possession.
Her ability to find open pockets on the court — combined with her footwork — made her a hard target to stop, but only managed to score her two points in the fourth quarter.
By the end of the game, Scherr clocked in 40 minutes on the court but barely reached 10 points. The result marked her 15th out of her 19 total games where she reached double-digits.
She was not the only one struggling to get points on the board, however, as the team’s leading scorer, Ajae Petty, only put up 11 points. Scherr was the second top scorer of the match for Kentucky behind Petty, who has been a rising star for the Wildcats this season.
After the game Elzy raved over Scherr’s intensity and the impact it has on the game.
“She has toughness and her ability to score,” she said. “She’s a competitor and you need that on the floor.”
Texas A&M dominated the game in rebounds with 43 compared to Kentucky’s 25, with Scherr’s intensity alone not being enough to get under the basket.
“They got too many second chance points from that and it’s hard to come back from,” she said.
Scherr and her teammates will have to bring more defensive intensity for their match against Auburn (15-8) on Thursday, Feb. 15, where the Tigers will host Kentucky at Neville Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET in Auburn, Alabama, and can be watched on the SEC Network.
