Samford Bulldogs @ Kentucky Wildcats
Howard scores 30, No. 16 Kentucky women whip Samford 79-49
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.
-----
More AP women's basketball: https://apnews.com/Womenscollegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
Game Information
Lexington, KY
Referee:Doug Knight
Referee:Missy Brooks
Referee:Darren McClure
2025-26 Standings
| Southern ConferenceSouthern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | 10-4 | - | 20-11 |
| East Tennessee State | 10-4 | - | 18-13 |
| Wofford | 10-4 | - | 16-13 |
| Furman | 9-5 | 1 | 18-13 |
| Mercer | 7-7 | 3 | 17-13 |
| Samford | 6-8 | 4 | 16-19 |
| UNC Greensboro | 4-10 | 6 | 14-16 |
| Western Carolina | 0-14 | 10 | 3-26 |
| Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 15-1 | - | 36-4 |
| Texas | 13-3 | 2 | 35-4 |
| Vanderbilt | 13-3 | 2 | 29-5 |
| LSU | 12-4 | 3 | 29-6 |
| Oklahoma | 11-5 | 4 | 26-8 |
| Kentucky | 8-8 | 7 | 25-11 |
| Georgia | 8-8 | 7 | 22-10 |
| Ole Miss | 8-8 | 7 | 24-12 |
| Tennessee | 8-8 | 7 | 16-14 |
| Alabama | 7-9 | 8 | 24-11 |
| Texas A&M | 7-9 | 8 | 14-13 |
| Mississippi State | 5-11 | 10 | 18-13 |
| Florida | 5-11 | 10 | 18-15 |
| Missouri | 4-12 | 11 | 17-17 |
| Auburn | 3-13 | 12 | 15-17 |
| Arkansas | 1-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
Women's College Basketball News

Mad Dog calls NCAA tournament expansion 'absurd'
21h

Why Jay Williams hates NCAA tournament expansion to 76 teams
1d

Which men's and women's basketball teams would NCAA tournament expansion benefit?
1d

