Morris returns to lead No. 16 Kentucky to win over LSU

Published

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Maci Morris returned from a one-game absence and scored 20 points and Keke McKinney hit a 3-pointer with under a minute left to lift No. 16 Kentucky to a 64-60 victory over LSU on Thursday night.

Morris missed the Wildcats' 55-49 loss to Mississippi on Sunday because of knee pain but returned to move up to ninth on the school's career points list with 1,415, passing Sarah Elliott (2005-08).

Kentucky (16-3, 3-2 SEC) led the entire game until LSU (11-6, 2-3) took its only lead on Ayana Mitchell's basket with 5:06 left. Kentucky retook the lead but another Mitchell bucket tied it with 45 seconds remaining. McKinney hit her go-ahead 3 with 20 seconds to go then added a free throw as LSU missed its final two shots.

The first half involved a couple of wild swings with Kentucky leading by 16 before Jaelyn Richard-Harris hit three consecutive 3-pointers to end the quarter and LSU outscored Kentucky 6-2 to open the second period to get within one before the Wildcats built a six-point halftime edge.

Jaida Roper added 10 points for Kentucky.

Faustine Aifufa scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting for LSU. Richard-Harris added a career-high 16 and Mitchell had 14 points — eight in the fourth quarter — with 10 rebounds.