Staff report | @KYKernelSports

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No. 10 UK Hoops defeated the Lady Rebels of Ole Miss on the road, 90-65, behind 20 points from senior guard A’dia Mathies.

Though UK won the game, Tennessee’s 82-72 victory over Texas A&M means the Cats won’t repeat as SEC regular season champions.

UK (24-4, 12-3 SEC) was all over Ole Miss from the start, jumping out to a 21-6 lead roughly ten minutes into the first half, helped by a 13-0 run spanning five minutes.

The Lady Rebels (9-19, 2-13 SEC) struggled against UK’s defense in the first half, shooting only 23 percent. After the first 20 minutes of play, UK had more than doubled Ole Miss, leading 37-18 at the half.

The second half belonged to the Cats.

With 9:23 remaining in the game, an and-one from junior guard Kastine Evans gave UK its biggest lead of the game, 65-33. Evans finished with nine points and five rebounds.

UK and Ole Miss traded baskets down the stretch. UK led by 28 with eight seconds left before a 3-pointer from Ole Miss sophomore forward Tia Faleru sealed the final score.

UK held Ole Miss to 37.3 percent from the field and forced 21 turnovers.

The Cats shot 40.5 percent from the field and outrebounded the Lady Rebels 57-38. The 57 rebounds are a SEC season-high for UK.

Mathies was joined in double figures by freshman guard Janee Thompson and sophomore guard Bria Goss, who scored 11 and 10 off the bench, respectively.

Junior forward Samarie Walker continued to haul in rebounds, corralling 13 to go along with nine points and two blocks.

UK won without junior forward DeNesha Stallworth, who stayed in Lexington due to flu-like symptoms. Senior forward Brittany Henderson started in her place, notching two blocks and one steal.

The Cats’ win ties head coach Matthew Mitchell with Terry Hall for most wins in school history with 138. Mitchell’s winning percentage of .697 is good for first in school history.

UK will play its final regular season game on Sunday against the newly minted champion Tennessee Lady Vols.

UK seniors A’dia Mathies and Brittany Henderson will be honored approximately before their final home game in a senior day ceremony.

The game is sold out, but a limited number of tickets will be held for UK students, faculty and staff, available for pick-up at the Joe Craft center starting at 2:30 on Sunday.

Tip is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.