GREENVILLE, S.C. – For the Kentucky women’s basketball team, there’s something about the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
The Cats, who won four games in four days to claim the title last season, won their first game of the 2023 tournament on Wednesday, beating Florida 72-57 at Bon Secours Arena.
Kentucky (11-18) snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory, behind 20 points from Robyn Benton and 12 points from Jada Walker.
Adebola Adeyeye had 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the win, while Maddie Scherr had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds while battling through injuries.
Kentucky advances to the second round of the SEC Tournament, where the Cats will face Alabama on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Tide won the earlier meeting between the teams 72-65 at Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 9.
Wednesday’s win was the second time this season that the Cats had topped the Gators. On Jan. 15 in Gainesville, UK won 81-75.
Florida scored first on an Alberte Rimdal layup, but UK answered with a 7-2 run to grab a four-point lead early. The Gators would rally and would take a 10-9 lead before the Cats scored nine in a row to make it 18-10. Kentucky would hold an 18-12 advantage after one quarter.
In the second period, Kentucky stretched its lead to 22-14 before an altercation between the two teams stopped play. The game officials needed more than 20 minutes to sort out the penalties, which included multiple players for both teams being ejected.
Kentucky Beats Florida in SEC Tournament First Round – UK Athletics​
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The Cats, who won four games in four days to claim the title last season, won their first game of the 2023 tournament on Wednesday, beating Florida 72-57 at Bon Secours Arena.
Kentucky (11-18) snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory, behind 20 points from Robyn Benton and 12 points from Jada Walker.
Adebola Adeyeye had 11 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in the win, while Maddie Scherr had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds while battling through injuries.
Kentucky advances to the second round of the SEC Tournament, where the Cats will face Alabama on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Tide won the earlier meeting between the teams 72-65 at Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 9.
Wednesday’s win was the second time this season that the Cats had topped the Gators. On Jan. 15 in Gainesville, UK won 81-75.
Florida scored first on an Alberte Rimdal layup, but UK answered with a 7-2 run to grab a four-point lead early. The Gators would rally and would take a 10-9 lead before the Cats scored nine in a row to make it 18-10. Kentucky would hold an 18-12 advantage after one quarter.
In the second period, Kentucky stretched its lead to 22-14 before an altercation between the two teams stopped play. The game officials needed more than 20 minutes to sort out the penalties, which included multiple players for both teams being ejected.
Kentucky Beats Florida in SEC Tournament First Round – UK Athletics​
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