Wills Leads Kentucky to Victory over Arkansas

The Kentucky women’s basketball team had a challenging task on Thursday night as they faced off against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Rupp Arena. With a record of 7-7, the Cats were up against the 12-3 Razorbacks who boasted Taliah Scott, the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference.
Despite the tough matchup, it was Kentucky’s senior Ajae Petty who stole the show. Petty scored an impressive 22 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, leading Kentucky to an upset victory of 73-63 over Arkansas.
Petty displayed her talent on the court, making 11 of 19 field goal attempts for her 22 points. She also contributed three assists, tying her career high. Brooklyn Miles added 12 points for Kentucky, while Emma King chipped in with 10 points.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, with Kentucky shooting just three of 15 from the floor and Arkansas making only two of 15. The absence of three-pointers from both teams kept the game tight, but the Razorbacks managed to take a narrow 8-6 lead after the first period due to four made free throws.
In the second quarter, Kentucky fought back and tied the game at 8-8 with a Cassidy Rowe jumper. Petty then went on a scoring spree, contributing six consecutive points to give Kentucky a 14-10 advantage and forcing an Arkansas timeout. This momentum continued with baskets from King and a layup from Saniya Tyler, resulting in a 20-10 lead for Kentucky with just over three minutes left in the half. Arkansas struggled to find the basket and went almost six minutes without a point before Scott finally scored a layup. However, Kentucky responded with a six-point run to extend their lead to 26-12. The Cats entered halftime with a 26-14 lead.
The third quarter saw Arkansas attempting a comeback by scoring the first six points, narrowing the gap to just six, 26-20. Petty then stepped up once again with a basket to break the Razorbacks’ streak. Kentucky managed to go up by nine points, 30-21, with two free throws from Maddie Scherr. However, Arkansas retaliated with a 13-6 run, bringing them within two points at 36-34. The Razorbacks even managed to take the lead, 37-36, with a Carly Keats three-pointer. But Kentucky quickly responded with a layup from Miles and a jumper from Eniya Russell, giving them a 40-37 lead. With 10 minutes left in the game, the score stood at 44-43 in favor of Kentucky.
Arkansas briefly regained the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Kentucky gradually built a comfortable lead, stretching it to as much as six points with 3:09 remaining in the game. Although the Razorbacks managed to reduce the gap to four points, they couldn’t come any closer as Kentucky established a double-digit lead in the closing minutes.
Looking ahead, Kentucky will face Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville on Sunday. The game is scheduled for noon ET and will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.