By Kindsey Bernhard
NKyTribune intern
The Wildcats did not miss a beat in their second game in 24 hours with a 70-46 win over the University of Albany in the second night of the Kentucky Classic on Saturday.
Despite an off night from Makayala Epps, who finished with 8 points, fellow senior Evelyn Akhator led the Cats with a career-high 28 points.
Akhator told head coach Matthew Mitchell before the game that she was going to have a big night. And she did.
“It’s just faith,” Akhator said.
Akhator recorded her second-straight double-double and 15th of her career with 28 points and 13 rebounds. She finished with 12 defensive rebounds and one offensive rebound.
“Once I thought we finally got into some rhythm and slowed down, we were able to feed her the ball and I thought she just made some great decisions,” Mitchell said.
Akhator finished with zero turnovers, which Mitchell said shows how poised she has become with the ball.
“With that many touches a year ago, she would probably have two or three traveling violations,” Mitchell said.
Akhator finished 10-of-15 from the field and went a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line, making 8-of-8. She is shooting 100 percent from the line in her first two games after making 2-of-2 in Friday’s win over Miami.
With how many times Akhator is fouled and sent to the charity stripe, her free throw shooting will be important to this team as the season continues.
“It’s something I’ve been working on,” Akhator said. “I had a bad free-throw shooting last season. I think I was 50 percent and I needed to do much more better.”
“My coaches they just keep telling me ‘I just need to be calm and love the ball’ so that’s what I did,” Akhator said. “Just fell in love with the ball.”
Akhator made a statement on the defensive side of the ball. She finished with four blocks and one steal, while staying out of foul trouble. Akhator picked up her third personal foul late in the fourth quarter right before a loud standing ovation greeted her as she subbed out for the night.
Albany head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said Akhator really “man-handled” her team on both side of the ball.
“Akhator really took it to us,” said Bernabei-McNamee. “[Akhator] out-muscled us and our game plan wasn’t really to let her do that.”
“She put the ball down with her left hand and we were really jumping to her right hand because that is, in the past and last year, that’s where she really wanted to go,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “And I think she’s done a spectacular job developing her game and you can tell she put some time into working to have counter plays to her left.”
The Cats are back in action Thursday in Lexington against New Hampshire at 7 p.m.