Sophomore Cassidy Rowe made her first start for UK Sunday and contributed to a win. (Vicky Graff Photo)
For a change, Kentucky was on the right side of the scoring runs for a change thanks to shooting a season-high 54.5 percent (31 of 57) from the field.
Kentucky overcame 20 turnovers in large part because Furman went 3-for-26 from 3-point range and pulled away for a 75-45 victory Sunday in Rupp Arena.
Saniah Tyler came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 28 minutes for Kentucky but once again it was senior guard Maddie Scherr’s stat-stuffing game that led the Wildcats.
Scherr had 13 points and went 3-for-7 from 3-point range, eight assists, five steals and one block in 30 minutes of play. She did all that despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter and also didn’t let committing five turnovers deter her from continuing to make plays.
It was the second straight game Scherr made at least three 3-pointers and was the eighth game in her career she made three triples. It was also the 50th time in her career she had at least three assists and 15th time in her career she made at least two steals in a game.
Scherr said the Cats, now 5-7, might have lost to Louisville but learned valuable lessons that helped against Furman.
“There was a third quarter run that they had and we just couldn’t recover from and it just kind of shows you to make it over that hump you’ve got to execute down the stretch,” Scherr said after Sunday’s win.
“I think in this game, it definitely carried over. We executed really well, shot the ball really well, forced them into a lot of turnovers. After the first quarter, we were up by one but then we came out in the second and really, you know, changed our mindset and we’re going to win this one.
“We won that quarter 21-8, which is good. I think we really just learned you can’t let up. There’s there’s no letting up in those four quarters.”
Tyler said Kentucky concentrated on better one-on-one defense.
“We have to know where shooters are. We have to stay on the lane line, and not let them get any shots. They had hit a few 3’s, so we had to kind of adjust and know where they were and fly out to them, so they did something other than shoot,” Tyler said.
Coach Kyra Elzy thought sophomore Cassidy Rowe gave the team a lift in her first start. She played 30 minutes and went 3-for-7 from the field to score seven points. She also had five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
“We’ve rotated our starting line up pretty much every game but I thought Cassidy has been solid in practice and what I was looking for,” Elzy said. “Her ability to shoot the ball … she was making hustle plays, taking charges and so I rewarded her from her practices.
“I thought she stepped up, was solid today with seven points, five rebounds. Did her job which is what I expect from her.”
