As a No. 3 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Kentucky women’s basketball team defeated Tennessee 86-65 in the quarterfinals in Greenville, South Carolina Friday night. 

The Cats led the Volunteers for the entirety of the game, and were ahead by as many as 26. At the half, Kentucky sported a 44-28 lead on 48 percent shooting, with sophomore SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard leading all scorers with 14 points and six rebounds. 

After having just two points in the first half, senior guard Sabrina Haines came out and scored 10 points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting and two three pointers. As a team, the Cats made six three-pointers in the second half and 11 total. 

Howard led the Wildcats with 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Tatyana Wyatt also came up big for Kentucky, finishing with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. 

Next up, the Cats advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals, taking on Mississippi State at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7 and can be seen on ESPNU.