Kentucky 85, North Carolina 75 – FINAL
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky moves to 7-0 on the season while North Carolina is now 5-2.
- The Wildcats will return to action Wednesday at Noon ET vs. Morehead State inside Memorial Coliseum. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ while Darren Headrick will have the call on radio on the UK Sports Network.
- Kentucky is now 1-5 all-time against North Carolina.
- This was Kentucky’s first ever win against the Tar Heels in women’s basketball.
- UK is now 805-532 all-time in program history.
- Matthew Mitchell is in his 12th year with the Wildcats and holds a 263-117 record. Mitchell is 293-146 overall in 14 years as a head coach.
- The Wildcats finish the 2018 Paradise Jam 3-0 after defeating South Florida in the first game, 85-63, and UCLA in overtime, 75-74. UK finishes as the Island Division Champions.
- This is the second Paradise Jam title in school history. The Wildcats won the Island Division of the event in 2014.
- Rhyne Howard won MVP honors of the Island Division.
- Howard averaged 21 points and 7.3 rebounds in the event with nine steals and two blocks. She shot 52.3 percent from the field and went 8-of-14 from long range.
- She is the second UK player to earn such honors at the event as Makayla Epps was named MVP at the event in 2014.
- Taylor Murray was named to the Island Division All-Tournament Team.
- Murray averaged 18.7 points and 5.7 rebounds with 15 assists and 10 steals.
- Murray shot 51.3 percent from the field and went 14-of-17 from the free-throw line.
- Kentucky’s 7-0 start is its best since starting 10-0 in 2015-16.
Team Notes
- Kentucky used the starting combination of senior guard Taylor Murray, senior guard Maci Morris, freshman guard Rhyne Howard, sophomore forward KeKe McKinney and sophomore forward Tatyana Wyatt.
- Kentucky is now 6-0 this season with this starting combination.
- North Carolina got off to a fast start and held an 11-point lead early in the game before UK ended the quarter on a 8-1 run, including a 3 at the buzzer by Howard to cut the deficit to 25-23.
- UNC’s 25 points in the first quarter was the most UK has allowed all season.
- The Wildcats shot just 6-of-19 from the field but five of those makes were from 3.
- UNC shot 8-of-19 from the field in the early going, including 4-of-8 from long range.
- Kentucky tied the game 30-30 after a Jaida Roper free throw but UNC answered with back-to-back 3s to up the lead back to 6.
- UNC ended the first half on a 5-0 run to take a 47-38 lead into the break at halftime.
- The Wildcats shot just 6-for-20 in the second quarter and just 12-for-39 overall in the first half for just 30.8 percent from the field.
- UNC shot 5-of-9 in the second quarter and finished the first half 13-for-28 for 46.4 percent. The Tar Heels were 8-for-12 from long range in the first half, including a 4-for-4 mark in the second quarter.
- Kentucky was held scoreless for the final 2:09 of the second quarter.
- UNC’s 47 first-half points were the most that Kentucky has allowed in the first half this season. The previous high was 31 by UCLA.
- After UNC held its largest lead of the game at 60-47 with 3:10 left in the third quarter, the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 60-54 to end the third.
- UK went 7-of-18 from the field in the third quarter, while UNC went 5-of-13 overall and 1-for-5 from long range.
- UK continued its run into the fourth quarter to take a 68-64 lead. The run was 21-4 for Kentucky and gave UK its first lead since early in the first quarter.
- After UNC went on a 5-0 run to retake the lead, UK continued its run throughout the fourth quarter ending the game on a 38-15 run over the final 13 minutes of play.
- Kentucky scored 31 fourth-quarter points which was its most in a quarter this season and the second most ever in the fourth quarter since going to the four-quarter format in 2015-16.
- UK forced North Carolina into 27 turnovers in the game and scored 34 points off those miscues.
- Kentucky had 14 assists and 15 steals in the game.
- The Wildcats have now had 14 or more assists in four games and 10 or more steals in five games.
Player Notes
- Senior guard Maci Morris scored 18 points, hitting five 3-pointers.
- Morris now has 1,306 career points, which ranks 19th most in program history. She needs 10 more to tie Bria Goss for 18th all-time in school history in points scored.
- Morris has 195 career 3-pointers made which ranks third in program history. She needs 2 more to tie Jennifer O’Neill for second all-time in program history.
- Senior guard Taylor Murray nearly had a triple-double in the game, scoring 23 points with 10 assists, seven steals and six rebounds.
- The double-double was the first of the season for Murray and the sixth of her career.
- This was the first 20-point scoring game for Murray and the seventh of her career.
- Murray now has 1,070 career points and ranks 29th all-time in points scored. She needs one more points to tied Tedra Eberhart for 28th all-time.
- Murray has 358 career assists which ranks 10th most in program history. She needs 9 more to tie Tracye Davis for ninth all time.
- Murray went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the game and is now an impressive 26-for-29 on the year from the line.
- Five of Murray’s six rebounds in the game were offensive boards.
- Freshman guard Rhyne Howard continued her hot start to the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds, hitting four 3s and adding three steals.
- Howard has scored 10 or more points in every game this season and has led Kentucky in scoring four times this year.
- This was the first career double-double for Howard.
- This was the second 20-point scoring game for Howard.
- Howard’s 12 rebounds were a career best.
