UK Hoops defeats Delaware, advances to Elite 8
March 30, 2013
Boyd Hayes | @KernelHayes
Holding on to a halftime lead, No. 2 seed UK Hoops survived a second-half rally from No. 6 seed Delaware in Bridgeport, Conn., to beat the Blue Hens, 69-62, and advance to the Elite Eight for second straight season.
Behind nine points and seven rebounds from senior guard A’dia Mathies in the first half, the Cats (30-5, 13-4 SEC) surged to a 41-27 halftime lead, outrebounding Delaware, 24-11, in the opening 20 minutes.
After the break, Delaware (32-4, 18-0 CAA) used crucial scoring and superior rebounding to take a 29-11 rebounding advantage in the second-half and pull within two points of the Cats with 2:47 left to play.
Delaware senior forward Elena Dell Donne, the nation’s second leading scorer, contributed 16 points and five rebounds to the Blue Hens’ second-half comeback attempt, finishing the night with 31 points and nine rebounds.
Sophomore guard Jennifer O’Neill was UK’s leading scorer with 19 points, while Mathies finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Mathies became the fifth player in UK basketball history, men’s and women’s, to score 2,00 career points, joining Valerie Still, Dan Issel, Jack Givens and Kenny Walker.
Key in the UK victory was a late three-pointer from junior guard Kastine Evans, which put the Cats up, 65-60, with 2:21 remaining in the game.
Evans, a native of Connecticut, and junior forward Samarie Walker finished the night with eight points each. Walker also led the Cats with 11 rebounds.
The Blue Hens had used comebacks to win both games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but were unable to complete their third.
The Cats will play the winner of No. 1 seed Connecticut vs. No. 4 seed Maryland in the Elite Eight on Monday at 7:30 p.m. That game will be televised live on ESPN.
