Kentucky womens basketball (6-1) earned a convincing 82-56 win over UNC Greensboro inside Memorial Coliseum on Sunday after going 1-1 in the Bahamas the week prior. 

After struggling to get any shots to fall in the Caribbean nation, Kentucky’s shooters had a point to prove against the Spartans, finishing with a shooting percentage of 58.2% while UNCG finished shooting 34.3%.

Jada Walker led the Cats with 20 points and three rebounds, shooting 77% (7-9) from the field. Robyn Benton followed closely behind, going 6-12 from the field with three 3-pointers, two of which counted.

“(I am) so proud of Jada, I thought she set the tone for us offensively and defensively,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said. “She’s just tough defensively and things that do not show up in the stat sheet (are) the way that she can bring heat to the basketball is exactly what we need.” 

Kentucky wasted no time getting into the flow of the game, ending the first quarter with a 12-point lead and the second quarter with a 27-point lead.

The Cats’ energy continued to build throughout the game as they dominated the Spartans the whole way through.

That said, UK came back out very slow to start the third quarter, forcing Elzy to call a time-out. 

“Well, it (what was spoken about during the time-out) was not a happy message,” Elzy said. “We had a goal that we wanted to hold them (UNCG) under, making sure we finish. Even though we were up, not playing the scoreboard, but trying to achieve our goals.”

Kentucky rebounded from the slow start though, going on to finish the game with a lopsided score line in favor of the home team.

Ajae Petty recorded 12 rebounds against the Spartans, with her paint presence contributing to the dominant team Kentucky is becoming.

“I think it just shows what I can do,” Petty said. “I think it’s just finally putting the pieces together and trying to show my team that they can rely on me to get the job done.” 

With the win, Kentucky turns its sights forward as it tries to secure another win in Minneapolis against Minnesota next week.

Despite the tough road matchup, Elzy insisted that her team is ready for the challenge, having been off for a week without a game, though she still recognized the difficulty of the matchup. 

“Minnesota is playing extremely well right now,” she said. “It’ll be a big test for us on the road.”

Kentucky and Minnesota are set to tip off on Wednesday, Dec.7, inside Williams Arena at 8 p.m. EST. The game can be watched live on Big Ten Network+.