Kentucky holds off late Belmont rally
Just when it seemed Kentucky’s veterans would have to carry the load against Belmont, Maci Morris stepped up to provide one of her strengths.
The Wildcats sophomore guard wasn’t perfect from the foul line, but she was good enough to earn the Wildcats a tough victory.
Morris made seven of eight free throws in the final 37 seconds, including two with 3.2 seconds remaining, to help fourth-seeded Kentucky edge No. 13 Belmont 73-70 on Friday in a first-round game of the NCAA Tournament.
“Free-throw wise, I didn’t want to miss,” said Morris, a perimeter threat who also leads Kentucky at the line (88 percent). “In the past I have missed some big free throws. I didn’t want to miss. (Makayla) Epps told me after I missed one that I would make the next two.”
Wildcats seniors Epps and Evelyn Akhator did their parts before that to get Kentucky (22-10) ahead with 52 combined points that were needed to hold off the determined Bruins. Belmont (27-6) got within 69-68 on two Sally McCabe free throws with 13 seconds remaining.
Morris had already made three of four at the line by then and sealed the victory with four more in the final seconds for 15 points and an edge that proved critical against Belmont’s last chance to tie.
Darby Maggard was defended well and shot an off-balance 3 that missed as the horn sounded to end Belmont’s school-record 21-game winning streak.
“That was fun,” said coach Cameron Newbauer, whose team shot 46 percent. “Unfortunately, not the outcome we wanted but that was incredible to watch what our team just did. Kentucky is a great team.”
Epps scored 30 with a career-high five 3-pointers while Akhator added 22. Epps lost a chance to reach a season high in scoring by missing two free throws with 53 seconds left, but Morris came through to help the Wildcats win their 10th straight tournament opener dating back to 1999.
“She didn’t seem too concerned and that is a good demeanor to have,” coach Matthew Mitchell said of Morris. “On those last ones, my heart was racing. I still get amazed to watch young people go up there and knock down free throws. ... She is just a cool customer.” Ashley Morrisette scored 20 points, Dominique Oden added 13 and ninth-seeded Purdue beat No. 8 Green Bay. The Boilermakers (23-12), playing their first game since coach Sharon Versyp informed the team she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, made 63 percent of their shots in the first quarter while holding Green Bay (27-6) to 23 percent shooting to take control and win for the eighth time in their last nine games.
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 28 points, Brionna Jones had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Maryland beat Bucknell to earn its seventh consecutive trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Playing at home in front of an enthusiastic crowd, the third-seeded Terrapins (31-2) built a 45-22 lead at halftime and expanded the margin to 30 points early in the third quarter over 14th-seeded Bucknell (27-6).
Blair Schaefer scored a career-high 21 points, Ameshya Williams added 15 and Mississippi State beat Troy. Mississippi State (30-4) used a 29-6 run in the second quarter to erase any doubt about the outcome. Schaefer was the Bulldogs’ unlikely star, making 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. The secondseeded Bulldogs used an unorthodox starting lineup, bringing star guard Victoria Vivians off the bench for the first time in her three-year career. Troy (22-11) was led by Claresa Banks, who scored 15 points. The 15th-seeded Trojans shot just 25 of 80 (31.3 percent) from the field.
Breanna Brown scored 12 points and second-seeded Oregon State held off feisty No. 15 seed Long Beach State in the final minute to eke out a victory. Mikayla Pivec and Marie Gulich each added 10 points for Oregon State (30-4), which was also seeded second last season when they made a run to the Final Four. Raven Benton had 17 points Long Beach State (23-11), which was trying to become the first 15-seed to ever win a game in the women’s NCAA Tournament.