With the loss, Kentucky falls to 13-3, 1-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
With the win, South Carolina improves to 9-7, 2-2 in the SEC.
Kentucky owns a 26-17 all-time record against South Carolina, but trails
9-12 in games played in Columbia.
The USC win snapped a two-game winning streak in the series for the Wildcats.
Six of the last eight meetings against the Gamecocks have been decided
by 10 points or less.
UK head coach Matthew Mitchell owns a 76-64 career record and a 46-35 record
at Kentucky. Mitchell has a 3-2 all-time record against South Carolina.
The Wildcats have a 588-450 all-time record in 36 years of varsity women's
basketball.
Kentucky returns to action Sunday, playing host to Alabama at Memorial
Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET and the game will be televised
on the SEC Network.
Key run: After Smith put UK within one point at 39-38 with 18:40 remaining
in the game, South Carolina went on a 22-9 run until the 9:37 mark, taking
a 61-47 lead the Gamecocks would not relinquish.
UK falls to 2-3 this season in games decided by 10 points or less. UK is
23-22 during the Mitchell era in games decided by 10 points or less.
The Gamecocks totaled 79 points in the game, marking the most points scored
on the Wildcats' defense this season.
Kentucky forced a total of 18 USC turnovers and has now forced each opponent
this year into at least 15 turnovers. In 13 of 16 games this season the UK
defense, which entered the game ranked second nationally in turnover margin,
has forced 20 or more turnovers from the opposition.
The Wildcats connected on five three-pointers in the game and have now
made a three-pointer in 203 consecutive games, dating back to 2003-04.
As a team, UK recorded 11 steals, marking the 12th consecutive game the
Wildcats have charted double-digit steals. UK has 10 or more steals in 13
of 16 games this season.
South Carolina shot 55.4 percent from the floor in the game, snapping a
17-game streak of holding the opponent under 50 percent shooting from the
field.
Individual Notes
Freshman guard A'dia Mathies played a career-high 38 minutes, totaling
a career-best 20 points.
Mathies added three blocked shots and three steals, with her three
blocks equaling a career high.
She attempted a career high 20 shots in the game.
Junior point guard Amber Smith finished with 19 points in 34 minutes, marking
the third consecutive game she has totaled 10 or more points.
Smith has nine double-figure scoring efforts this season.
She came one point shy of equaling her career-high for points, the
20 points that helped lead UK to a win over No. 17 Vanderbilt Sunday.
Despite being limited to 25 minutes due to foul trouble, junior forward
Victoria Dunlap charted her 15th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
She has scored in double figures in each game this season and in 21 consecutive
games, dating back to last year.
With two steals, Dunlap - who ranks second in the NCAA in steals per
game - has a steal in 23 consecutive games.
Junior forward Lydia Watkins contributed 10 points, five rebounds and three
steals in 19 minutes of action off the bench.
Watkins has scored in double figures in three games this season.
She has 12 games with three or more rebounds this season and a total
of 10 games with at least one steal.
