COLOMBIA, SC – Rhyne Howard scored 12 points, but Kentucky’s No. 17 lost in 2nd place in South Carolina 76-55 on Sunday.
Chasity Patterson scored nine points for Kentucky, while Dre’una Edwards and Tatyana Wyatt scored seven points each. Jazmine Massengill had six points, five assists and three rebounds for Cats.
The highest Gamecocks surpassed Cats by 49-30 in the game. Included in that figure were 20 offensive rebounds for South Carolina, which led to 18 second chance points. Gamecocks also scored 16 points in Kentucky sales, while Cats scored just six points in South Carolina.
Both teams were defeated, with South Carolina losing its first six shots and Kentucky losing its first four. The Gamecocks scored first in a pair of free throws by Zia Cooke, but the Cats tied the game on a cutting tray from Patterson. Kentucky reached their first advantage, 3-2, in an Edwards free throw, with 6:35 to go until the end of the first period.
South Carolina would score the next five points to lead 7-3, before Blair Green hit a free-throw shooter to reduce to 7-5. South Carolina would score the next five before Patterson hit a top three to make him 10-8 Gamecocks with 2:49 remaining in the first. South Carolina would lead 14 to 12 at the end of the first quarter.
Kentucky (15-6, 8-5 SEC) took the lead early in the second period in a three for Massengill. However, Howard suffered his second foul and went to the bank soon after. At that point, South Carolina scored the next 10 points to lead 24-15.
Howard returned and the Cats got consecutive baskets from Robyn Benton and Edwards to reduce the deficit to 24-19. But South Carolina responded again, this time with an 8-2 run to take the 32-21 lead.
Towards the end of the first half, Howard got hot, hitting three consecutive runs that were part of a 9-2 series to close the semester. South Carolina would lead 34-30 at the break.
Gamecocks scored the first four points in the third quarter and went on a 9-2 run to take 43-32. Thereafter, the lead would be between nine and 11 points until South Carolina scores five consecutive points to grab a 54-40 lead at the end of the third period.
Kentucky would receive a tray from Patterson with 33 seconds remaining in the period, but just before the horn went off, Cooke hit a three to give South Carolina a 57-42 lead after three periods.
The Cats would score the first four points of the final period on a jumper Tatyana Wyatt and a pair of Howard free throws, reducing the deficit to 57-46. South Carolina responded with a Destanni Henderson three, starting a 9-0 streak that put the game away.
Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, visiting Georgia in Athens. The tipoff is set for 7 pm Eastern Time, and the game can be viewed on the SEC Network.