Sydney Yonker
Kentucky forward Ajae Petty prepares for free throws during the Kentucky vs. Ole Miss women’s basketball game on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky lost 45-75. Photo by Sydney Yonker | Staff
Kentucky women’s basketball (11-19, 4-12) fell to the No. 9 ranked LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Sunday afternoon 77-56.
The Wildcats were downed in front of a sold out crowd as 13,044 fans packed into the Pete Maravich Center with LSU hosting its senior day.
“When we were coming out, I told the team: this is what you want to play in, an amazing atmosphere,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said. “You want to play against the best in order to be the best.”
In an effort to take down the defending national champions in its final regular season game of the season, Kentucky rolled out a starting five consisting of Cassidy Rowe, Amiya Jenkins, Maddie Scherr, Emma King and former LSU Tiger Ajae Petty.
Right off the tip, the Tigers controlled the pace of the game as they grabbed a 6-0 lead and forced an early Kentucky timeout, something UK fans have seen numerous times this season.
The Wildcats turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter and, despite that, were able to not let the score slip away too much as they went into the second quarter down just 11.
In the second quarter, Kentucky arguably played its best basketball of the season, looking like a whole different team, shooting 3-6 (50%) from beyond the three-point arch and 7-16 (43.8%) from the field, outscoring LSU 18-13.
While dominating the second quarter, the Wildcats went on a 13-2 scoring run to close out the first half, heading into the break down 33-27.
In the third quarter, LSU came out swinging and opened the score up with a 14-4 tear, spiraling into another Kentucky timeout.
The third quarter continued to play out and it didn’t go as well as the second for the Wildcats, who were outscored 27-18, leading to UK facing a 15-point deficit heading into the final ten minutes of play.
The fourth quarter showed similar play, as Kentucky was unable to cut it in the hostile environment, leading to its 19th loss of the season.
With the defeat, Kentucky looks ahead to the SEC tournament — which starts on March 6 — where it will serve as the No. 12 seed with hopes of winning it all and earning a bid in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s a new season,” Elzy said, when describing the SEC tournament. “We’re locked in at 12, far from where we want to be, but that is what it is.”