Howard scores 30, No. 16 Kentucky women whip Samford 79-49

Dec 8, 2019, 05:08 pm

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Rhyne Howard scored a career-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including five 3-pointers, and No. 16 Kentucky rolled to a 79-49 win over Samford on Sunday.

The Wildcats went 11 of 23 from 3-point range and shot 53% overall while forcing 18 Samford turnovers they turned into 21 points. Sabrina Haines added 12 points for Kentucky (9-0) and Jaida Roper had seven assists and six rebounds to go with three points.

Shauntai Battle led Samford (3-8) with nine points. The Bulldogs shot 28% in the first half to fall behind 41-20 but shot 50% in the second half.

Howard opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers in the first minute and Haines hit a 3 for a 9-0 lead. Samford's first four baskets were 3-pointers, the first two by Paige Serup and the last two by Battle for a 12-11 lead.

Kentucky closed the first quarter with three 3s for a 22-14 lead. Amanda Paschal scored the first hoop of the second quarter to make it an 11-0 run for a 24-14 lead. The Wildcats had a 19-6 scoring advantage in the second quarter including the last nine points. Samford made just 2 of 13 shots in the second period.

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