Thompson's late 3-pointer lifts Kentucky over Louisville
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Janee Thompson scored the Wildcats' final six points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds, as No. 9 Kentucky used a late rally to down seventh-ranked Louisville, 48-47, to take the Battle of the Bluegrass.
Thompson finished with 13 points, while DeNesha Stallworth dropped in a game- high 14 for Kentucky (6-1), which has won five straight.
Shoni Schimmel netted 13 points to pace the Cardinals (8-1), who were handed their first loss of the season.
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Sara Hammond added 12 points in defeat.
Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm over the opening portion of the first half as Kentucky held an 8-2 lead eight minutes into the frame, but then Louisville reeled off a 14-4 run to go on top, 16-12, on a Schimmel 3- pointer.
The Wildcats battled back to knot the game at 16-16 with 3 1/2 minutes left, but Louisville closed out the half with a 7-2 push to carry a 23-18 lead into the break.
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The Cardinals carried that momentum into the second half by opening the stanza with six straight points to build a double-digit lead.
Kentucky was held at arm's length over the majority of the second half until a late 8-0 push brought them within 41-38 with 5 1/2 minutes to play.
The Wildcats kept the game close from there and after Thompson dropped in three foul shots to close the gap to 46-45 with about a minute to play, Bria Smith went 1-for-2 at the line on the other end to make it a two-point game.
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Thompson then sank the decisive 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining and Smith's shot following a timeout was blocked by Azia Bishop to seal the win for the Wildcats.