Second half struggles lead to UK’s second straight loss

Maci+Morris+takes+the+ball+down+the+court+during+the+game+against+Tennessee+Tech+on+Sunday%2C+December+3%2C+2017+in+Lexington%2C+Ky.+Photo+by+Chase+Phillips+%7C+Staff

Maci Morris takes the ball down the court during the game against Tennessee Tech on Sunday, December 3, 2017 in Lexington, Ky. Photo by Chase Phillips | Staff

Brianna Dooley

Ending a challenging road trip in Florida over the weekend, Kentucky lost to Miami on Sunday 54-65 after leading by seven points going into the second half. 

The Cats are now 8-3 for the season.

The tip was controlled by Miami, and from there it became a battle in the post for Kentucky’s senior center Alyssa Rice and Miami’s senior forward Erykah Davenport. 

The first quarter ended with a score of 18-14, with UK having the upper hand. Kentucky struggled with adjusting to Miami’s full court press, but once the Cats got the hang of it, they attacked it with full force and came out on top of the first quarter.

Seniors Rice and Davenport both contributed eight points to their teams scores during the first quarter, along with three rebounds. 

There was quite the scoring drought coming from both teams during the second quarter, with the first shot not being made until the halfway mark. Kentucky guard Kameron Roach entered the game and made the layup that ended the second quarter scoring drought.

Foul trouble was an issue in UK’s other two losses this season, and it was the same case for the Cats in this one. Two key players, Maci Morris and Taylor Murray, both got benched during the second quarter because of the quick fouls they collected. 

However, Morris would come back in and score a few big buckets, plus an impressive 10 minutes from Roach gave Kentucky a 30-23 lead going into halftime. 

Kentucky’s defense didn’t look too hot in the third quarter, allowing Miami to cut their seven-point lead to one after back-to-back fast break layups. 

Morris tried to give some life to the Kentucky offense by hitting a crucial three-pointer with 6:00 left in the third, after Miami had tied the game to 35-35.

Miami completely dominated the third quarter by outscoring Kentucky 28-18 and not allowing Kentucky to score any fast-break points. The Hurricanes themselves had 14 points off of fast breaks for the game.

After Miami tied the game and took the lead, Kentucky was not able to come back. The Cats had plenty of good open looks to try to come back during the fourth quarter, but their shots never fell. 

Many free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter allowed Miami to come out on top of Kentucky with a score of 54-65. 

Morris lead the team with 18 points, while Rice recorded her second career double-double.

The Cats will take on the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 17, in Memorial Coliseum at 3 p.m. EST.