No. 16 Kentucky women’s basketball (21-9, 8-8 SEC) failed to complete its 13-point fourth-quarter comeback, falling 60-56 to No. 3 South Carolina (29-2, 15-1 SEC) on senior day.
South Carolina was the Wildcats fifth AP Top-5 conference opponent this season, making UK the only women’s team since at least 2001-02 to face five of these opponents in regular season conference play. Kentucky finished with a 2-3 record in these games.
Kentucky seniors Teonni Key, Tonie Morgan, Amelia Hassett, Jordan Obi and Josie Gilvin were celebrated before the game with a senior day ceremony.
Clara Strack had a standout performance for the Cats. She finished with 24 points and nine rebounds on 11 of 19 shooting. Strack was the only Kentucky player to finish with double-digit scoring.
Kentucky shot 38.1% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range. South Carolina shot 42.6% from the field and 27.8% from behind the arc.
With this loss, Kentucky will face an uphill battle to earn a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cats have been hanging right on the fringe for weeks, Kentucky will now likely require a strong showing in the SEC Tournament to host NCAA Tournament games.
This was the 78th all-time meeting between Kentucky and South Carolina. The Gamecocks hold a 43-25 lead in the series, while Kentucky holds a 20-15 lead in games played in Lexington.
The Gamecocks attacked the paint in this game, with 36 of 60 points coming from the paint.
Strack made shots on back-to-back possessions to break a 4-4 tie after three minutes.
Raven Johnson hit a 3-pointer to regain the lead for South Carolina.
After five consecutive Wildcat misses, Hassett hit a 3-pointer to give the Cats a 9-7 lead.
Kentucky forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of play, The Cats scored seven of their first nine points off these mistakes.
South Carolina went scoreless for three minutes. The Wildcats were unable to capitalize, making just one shot in this span.
Madina Okot hit a 3-pointer to put the Gamecocks ahead by four.
The Gamecocks early scoring struggles didn’t last. South Carolina made its last five shots of the first quarter to take a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.
The first quarter saw two ties and six lead changes before the Gamecocks pulled away late in the quarter.
Kentucky shot 6 for 17 (35.3%) from the field in the quarter, South Carolina made 8 of 13 (61.5%) in the quarter.
South Carolina began the second quarter with a 7-2 run, pulling ahead 26-15 after two minutes.
Obi hit a mid-range pull-up jumpshot to end a three minute scoring drought for the Cats.
South Carolina immediately responded with a layup, giving the Gamecocks a 13 point lead, this forced a Kentucky timeout.
Hassett hit a second-chance 3-pointer to kick off an 8-0 Kentucky run. Strack followed with a layup, then Asia Boone made a second-chance 3-pointer of her own. This run put Kentucky back within six points, forcing a Gamecock timeout.
The Gamecocks went scoreless for nearly four minutes to close out the first half, they still entered halftime with a 33-27 lead.
Strack led the Wildcats in the first half with 10 points and five rebounds.
For South Carolina, it was Okot who scored 11 points on 5 for 7 shooting with nine rebounds.
Kentucky struggled on the defensive glass in the first half. South Carolina grabbed seven offensive rebounds, turning those into 12 second-chance points.
Boone hit a 3-pointer immediately out of halftime, pulling Kentucky back within three points.
Another 3-pointer from Boone tied the game at 37-37, the first tie in nearly 20 minutes of play.
Okot grabbed a steal before going coast-to-coast to give South Carolina a four point lead.
After forcing the tie, Kentucky missed five straight field goal attempts while South Carolina made six straight. This run gave South Carolina a 48-39 lead.
Strack made a layup to end the Wildcats nearly four minute scoring drought.
The Gamecocks finished the third quarter on a 13-2 run, taking a 54-41 lead into the final quarter.
Kentucky turned the ball over five times in the third quarter, and South Carolina scored 10 points off those errors.
Kentucky rattled off a 4-0 run to begin the fourth quarter, forcing a Gamecock timeout as Kentucky pulled back within nine points.
Strack scored on back-to-back possessions, cutting the Gamecocks lead to 56-49.
Back-to-back layups from Key pulled Kentucky back within three, exploding the home crowd in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
South Carolina called a timeout after its three-minute scoring drought allowed an 8-0 Kentucky run.
Kentucky called a timeout with 1:10 remaining. The Wildcats had made six of their last seven field goal attempts and trailed by just three points.
Obi was fouled, she made one of two shots from the foul line to pull Kentucky back within two.
South Carolina missed with 37 seconds left, giving Kentucky the ball back with the opportunity to tie or take the lead.
Key found a path to the rim but was unable to convert the layup, both teams swarmed the ball and a jump ball was called with seven seconds left. South Carolina had the possession arrow on its side, so the Gamecocks were awarded the ball.
Kentucky needed three fouls to put South Carolina in the bonus, the Cats were unable to get these fouls before the clock ran out.
This allowed South Carolina to pull out a 60-56 win.
This was the Wildcats final game of the regular season. Kentucky will return to action in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. Seeding for the tournament has not been decided, so the time and date of Kentucky’s first game has yet to be announced.
