The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Suffer Setback At Kentucky
2/5/2010 | Women's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Kayla Melson scored a team-high 20 points to mark her second straight game with 20 points, but it was not enough against the 20th ranked Kentucky Wildcats as Ole Miss fell 80-66 Thursday night on the road.
A'dia Mathies scored 21 points, Victoria Dunlap added 18 and Kentucky forced 18 turnovers while extended its home winning streak to 15 games.
The Wildcats (19-3, 7-2) also harassed Ole Miss All-SEC guard Bianca Thomas into a 4 for 19 shooting performance, including 3 of 12 from 3-point range. Thomas, who came in ninth in the nation in scoring at 21 points per game, finished with 17.
Ole Miss (14-8, 5-4) held its only lead at 6-5 early in the first half before the Wildcats went on a 14-2 run to pull away. Kentucky led 41-28 at halftime.
Ole Miss, which shot only 23 percent (19 of 59), trailed by as many as 23 late in the game.
''I felt their pressure affected us greatly,'' Ole Miss coach Renee Ladner said. ''It affected our shots, our normal shots.''
With every drive to the basket, Thomas was confronted with a flurry of hands slapping the ball away.
''We had possession after possession,'' Ladner said. ''We just didn't do anything with it.''
