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#14 Kentucky Women come up short to rival No. 7 Louisville 64-58

Kentucky Louisville Basketballl
Posted at 11:31 PM, Dec 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-12 23:31:12-05

LOUISVILLE, KY — For the fifth consecutive time, Kentucky women's basketball were beaten by their archrival Louisville 64-58 Sunday. The Wildcats haven't beaten the Cardinals since 2015.

Senior All-American guard Rhyne Howard was held to a season-low nine points and seven rebounds on 3-of-13 shooting from the field.

Despite Howard's struggles, the No.14 Wildcats kept the game close thanks to her supporting cast. Junior forward Dre'una Edwards led the way with 14 points and 14 rebounds in her first game back from a suspension. Sophomore guard Treasure Hunt chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Robyn Benton also recorded 13 points.

However, Kentucky turned the ball over 21 times - a season-high. The Cardinals turned them into 21 of their 64 points.

After ending the first half on a 11-2 run to take a 33-32 lead into halftime, the Wildcats came out cold in the third quarter, scoring just six points on 1-of-13 shooting.

"You know I thought we got gassed in the third. We quit the backdoor cuts that we were making early. We quit making those. We started settling for quit outside shots. Due to fatigue, we were one shot and out or we weren't in rebounding position," head coach Kyra Elzy said after the game. "But back in the fourth, we made some plays because we started putting the ball back on the floor and finishing at the rim."

Louisville also dominated with points in the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 32-28. Kentucky is now 0-2 this year when facing Top-25/Power Five competition.

"I'm going to bet on us every time and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Kentucky player. I'm saying that because I know we got dogs and I know we got fight in us," Edwards told local media post game.

"Regardless of the situation, regardless of how much we're down, regardless of who we're playing, we always bring that fight mentality. I'm never scared to...WE are never scared to go against anybody."

Kentucky now get a four-day break after playing three games in a week. The Wildcats are back in action Friday, December 17th when they host Morgan State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST at Memorial Coliseum.