LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Presbyterian College women's basketball team fell in its 2021-22 season opener at No. 13 Kentucky 81-53 on Tuesday night. PC was led by senior Trinity Johnson who scored 11 points and added five assists along with four rebounds.
FINAL SCORE: #13 Kentucky 81, Presbyterian 53
LOCATION: Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, Ky.)
RECORDS: Presbyterian (0-1) | #13 Kentucky (1-0)
Coach Sharp's Thoughts
"I was proud of our effort and execution through 3 quarters tonight. Thought we executed our game plan really well at times. I feel like we are taking away a lot of positives from this game and some things for us to improve and grow from. Trinity Johnson lead our team with confidence from the point guard position and that's what we need from her.."
Scoring the Game
- The Blue Hose jumped on Kentucky early with a 6-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Maleia Bracone to force a Wildcat timeout. Kentucky had a quick burst over two minutes to cut it to 8-6 before the hosts kept the pressure on PC and cut the deficit to one at 12-11 with 4:24 to play in the first. PC was able to close the opening stanza on a 13-4 run with points from five different players to take a 25-15 lead to the second.
- Kentucky opened the second quarter on a 9-2 run over the first three minutes to cut the PC advantage to three, 27-24, and force the Blue Hose to call a timeout. PC had a 5-0 run to push the lead back to eight before the hosts went on a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the Blue Hose lead to one, 32-31 with 2:51 to play in the first half. The Wildcats were able to gain their first lead on Tuesday in the final 90 seconds with a jumper taking a 35-34 lead. PC quickly responded with three free throws before Kentucky nailed a three at the buzzer to take a one-point lead to the break.
- The Wildcats opened the third quarter on a 19-0 run over the first six minutes to race out to a 57-37 advantage. PC would chip into it a couple of times but the hosts would answer and take a 24 point lead to the fourth.
- In the final stanza, Kentucky kept the pressure on PC in the opening five minutes with a 6-2 advantage before Jo Raflo, Jade Compton and Tionna Carter had three straight baskets but an 8-2 run down the stretch gave the Wildcats and 81-53 season-opening win.
Players of the Game
Trinity Johnson led PC with 11 points as she added four rebounds. Tionna Carter led the Blue Hose on the glass with six rebounds. Johnson handed out five assists to pace PC. Dre'una Edwards led Kentucky with 20 points as she was one of four players to score in double figures. Treasure Hunt added 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Jazmine Massengill and Rhyne Howard each had seven assists as Howard chipped in with 15 points.
Stats of the Game
Presbyterian shot 41.3 percent (19-of-46), while Kentucky connected on 52.3 percent (34-of-65) from the field. PC made 12-of-16 (75%) from the free-throw line, while the hosts were 8-of-19 (42.1%) from the charity stripe. The Wildcats had a slim 32-31 edge on the glass, which led to a 17-6 edge in second-chance points. Kentucky had a 50-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Notables
- In her collegiate debut, Jo Raflo had five points in 16 minutes off of the PC bench. The Gainsville, Va native also had a pair of rebounds.
- Fellow freshman Paige Kindseth added four points in 12 minutes in her debut, while Jasmine Stevens played a minute on Tuesday night.
- In her debut with PC, senior Bryanna Brady had six points off the bench in 10 minutes on three-of-four shooting. Brady added two boards.
Up Next
The Blue Hose return to the Palmetto State on Friday at 7 pm against Furman.
