The UK women’s basketball team bounced back from their loss at Baylor and defeated Tennessee Tech 82-54 on Sunday afternoon. 

The Cats shined defensively and offensively during the first half, opening up a big lead early.

During the first quarter, Alyssa Rice won the tip and opened up the scoring with a layup. The game was tied at six until UK went on a 7-0 run.

Maci Morris and KeKe McKinney both shot perfectly from the floor during the first quarter, as Morris was 3-3 and McKinney was 2-2. Mackenzie Coleman was the leading scorer for Tennessee Tech in the first quarter with eight points.

Tennessee Tech dug itself into a hole during the second quarter by not breaking down defensively and lacking in offensive precision. TTU did not score a point during the first three minutes of the quarter.

UK had been rebounding TTU midway through the second quarter, and this was reflected on the scoreboard. Coleman made the first point of the quarter for TTU after being fouled on a shot and making the extra point. 

UK led TTU by 20 points with about 2:11 left in the half and ended the quarter on a 10-0 run. The Cats held TTU to only 11 points that quarter.

UK outshined TTU overall in the second quarter, including rebounding and scoring. The Cats were snatching rebounds from TTU on the offensive and defensive end. 

Morris led UK in scoring with 11 points and Coleman led TTU with 13. The Cats took a 49-24 lead into halftime.

As the second half began, Morris ended her perfect scoring streak with a missed layup, but answered right away by scoring off her own rebound. Morris and Rice finished with six rebounds apiece for the game.

With four minutes left in the third quarter, UK had scored double TTU’s points, hiking the score to 62-31. The third quarter ended with a score of 68-39.

TTU’s leading scorer, Mackenzie Coleman, fouled out in the fourth quarter after being a big contributor for the team, ending her night with 15 points and three rebounds.

Yaktavia Hickson woke up during the fourth quarter for TTU, scoring a total of 16 points for the game. Realizing that Coleman couldn’t do it all on her own, Hickson started to answer offensively and ended the game as the team’s leading scorer.

By the end of the game, UK had made double the rebounds that TTU made. The Cats will next face Evansville at Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 5. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.