Kentucky
Kentucky rallies past Mississippi State for first road win
STARKVILLE, Ms. – The Kentucky women’s basketball team went on a 19-0 run in the second half, turning a nine-point deficit into a 78-68 win at Mississippi State on Thursday night.
Kentucky used pressure defense, specifically in the fourth quarter, to rally for its first road win of the season. The Cats forced nine turnovers in the fourth quarter and turned those into 10 points.
Saniah Tyler had a big night for Kentucky, tying her career high with 22 points. The sophomore from Florissant, Missouri, made 7 of 10 from the floor, including 6 of 8 from behind the arc and two of two from the line for her 22 points. Ajae Petty recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Kentucky got 14 points from Eniya Russell and 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds from Maddie Scherr.
Mississippi State jumped out to an 8-2 lead early in the game. The Cats would get closer on a Scherr three, but MSU scored six of the next eight to lead 14-7. Later in the period, the Bulldogs would lead 21-14 before Kentucky went on a run, sparked by a quartet of three-pointers from Saniah Tyler, the last of which gave UK a 25-22 lead. The Cats closed the quarter on a 13-1 run and would hold a 27-22 advantage after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Kentucky got layups from Petty and Amiya Jenkins to extend the lead to 31-22. The Cats would lead 35-26 before MSU scored eight in a row to close the half, making it 35-34 at the half.
Mississippi State came out hot in the third quarter, scoring the first nine points of the period to take a 43-35 lead. Kentucky answered with a 12-5 run to get within one, 48-47. But MSU would score the next seven points to lead 55-47. The Bulldogs would lead 63-54 after three periods.
Kentucky would get within seven points early in the fourth quarter, but MSU would lead 68-59. That’s when the Cats made their run. Layups from Russell and Petty got the Cats within five. A Jenkins basket cut it to 68-65. Then Tyler hit a driving layup and a three and Russell hit a driving layup, giving UK a 72-68 lead with 2:46 to play. A pair of Tyler free throws made it 74-68.
The UK defense continued to hound MSU and the run continued. Petty scored on a putback and Russell hit a pair of free throws to make it 78-68, closing the 19-0 run.
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday, hosting top-ranked South Carolina at Rupp Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
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Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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