Cats look to stack SEC wins for first time this season

Isabel McSwain

Kentucky Wildcats guard Maddie Scherr (22) shoots a free throw during the Kentucky vs. No. 7 LSU womens basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. UK lost 67-48. Photo by Isabel McSwain | Staff

Ali Cetinok, Asst. Sports Editor
January 20, 2023

Kentucky womens basketball (9-9) won its first SEC game of the season this past Sunday, defeating Florida 81-75.

With the win, the Cats now seek consecutive SEC victories as they travel to Starkville to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are also looking for consecutive conference wins for the first time this season after knocking down Texas A&M on Monday night.

Mississippi State, led by Sam Purcell, currently sits at 13-5 overall and 2-3 in the SEC with wins over the Aggies and Vanderbilt.

The Bulldogs had lost three in a row prior to the victory against Texas A&M to Ole Miss, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Offensively, the Bulldogs average 73.1 points while only allowing opponents to score 52.5, a scoring margin of 21.2.

Purcell’s squad is also currently shooting 45% from the field while drilling 35% of attempts from beyond the arc.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Robyn Benton (1) looks to pass the ball during the Kentucky vs. No. 7 LSU womens basketball game on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. UK lost 67-48. Photo by Isabel McSwain | Staff (Isabel McSwain)

Jessika Carter is the biggest threat on offense for the Bulldogs, averaging 14.8 points on 56.9% shooting from the field. She also averages 8.4 rebounds per game.

JerKaila Jordan is also one to watch as she currently averages 10.9 points per game while shooting 43.1% from the field. Jordan has also proven to be very capable from deep as she shoots 35.8% from the 3-point range.

Debrasha Powe is also capable of causing trouble for the Cats, currently averaging 10.6 points a game while shooting 43.8% from the field.

Going further down the roster, Ahlana Smith is currently shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc, while Asianae Johnson joins her as a threat from deep, going 10-20 from three so far this season.

If they hope to secure victory, the Cats will need to have a better shooting performance than they did against Florida.

In Gainesville, Kentucky shot 40% from the field and just 12.5% from beyond the arc but managed to hit 82% of its free throws to claim the first victory in the SEC for Kyra Elzy’s squad.

Now with that win under their belt and confidence likely restored, the Cats will look to build on their momentum and earn consecutive victories in the SEC for the first time since the team won 10 straight games to finish the regular season and win the SEC Tournament last season with eventual No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick Rhyne Howard.

Kentucky and Mississippi State are set to tip off Sunday, Jan. 22, at 1 p.m. EST in Starkville, Mississippi, with the game set to air live on the SEC Network.