Lady Cats Punch Tickets To Sweet 16

Kentucky bound for Sweet 16 after 70-52 victory over Mich. St.
Second-half run downs Michigan St.

By Jody Demling • jdemling@courier-journal.com • March 22, 2010

The number 16 has a different meaning for the University of Kentucky women's basketball program this season.

One year after finishing 16-16, the Wildcats are headed to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.

The Wildcats punched their ticket on Monday with a 70-52 victory over Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before 3,361 fans in Freedom Hall.

“This is a really big deal,” point guard Amber Smith said. “This team has come a long way, and we really wanted it.

“It's a great big deal for all of us and our fans.”

Fourth-seeded Kentucky led 35-31 at halftime and turned a game of contrasting styles its way with pressure defense.

The No.5 seed Spartans (23-10) wilted under UK's defensive pressure in the second half, turning it over 11 times and running out of gas. The Wildcats used a 24-6 run to keep the best season in school history going.

“We knew if we could get them going up and down that eventually it would cause a lot of problems for them,” senior Amani Franklin said. “It finally paid off for us.”

UK (27-7) has set a school record for victories, and now the Wildcats have a 6-6 all-time tourney record, winning two games in the same tournament for the first time since 1982.

The Wildcats advanced in the Kansas City Regional and will face the Nebraska-UCLA winner on Sunday in Kansas City.

“This just means so much to everybody in this program,” freshman A'dia Mathies of Iroquois said. “But we are not finished yet. We still have work to do.”

Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap led the balanced attack with 21 points and eight rebounds despite fighting off sickness and a tweaked ankle.

Dunlap was 9of13 from the field, driving it around Michigan State's 6-foot-9 center Allyssa DeHaan for much of the game. She was also 3of9 from the free-throw line.

“The coaches put it in my mind to go around them and not try and go through them,” Dunlap said. “I was just focused on making layups.”

Six other players scored six or more points, including 10 from Keyla Snowden. Lydia Watkins came off the bench for nine points. Mathies and Franklin had eight apiece. Franklin also had seven rebounds, and Mathies finished with five assists and six rebounds.

It was a close game for the first 23 minutes with the Wildcats clinging to a 37-35 lead as the Spartans tried to fight through the pressure defense.

But UK's relentless pressure started to wear on the taller Spartans, who hit just 19of55 shots.

Snowden started the 24-6 run with a three-pointer to make it 40-35 before the Wildcats converted on two consecutive turnovers — both resulting in Mathies buckets.

“We didn't want to let up,” Dunlap said. “And when you saw (the pressure) kick in, you could just see everybody running the floor and filling lanes and attacking.”

Mathies scored to end the run and make it 61-41 when a UK fan in the stands yelled, “Kansas City, here we come.”

“Our motto right now is ‘Refuse to Lose,'” Snowden said. “And that's what we did here tonight.”