No. 18 Kentucky Wins at Vanderbilt, 71-55
Alexis Jennings scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds as No. 18 Kentucky avenged a loss to Vanderbilt earlier this season by beating the Commodores 71-57 on Sunday in Nashville. Much like the first contest, Kentucky raced out to an early lead in the first quarter. When Jennings made a layup with 4:10 left in the quarter, the Wildcats led 10-2.The difference in this game was that Kentucky did not allow Vanderbilt to come from behind in the second quarter. Instead, the Wildcats outscored Vandy 14-7 to take a 28-19 lead into the break. Kentucky (17-6, 6-6 SEC) stretched its lead in the second half. Vanderbilt got as close as 35-28 in the third quarter, but could get no closer.Janee Thompson had 15 points for Kentucky and Evelyn Akhator added 10. Makayla Epps was held to seven points, but she added six assists and four rebounds.Kentucky forced Vanderbilt into 24 turnovers in the game, turning those miscues into 24 points on the offensive end. And, after Vandy hit 10 three-point baskets in Lexington, Kentucky was able to cut that number in half in this one, holding the Commodores to 5-of-10 from long range.The Wildcats shot 46 percent (29-63) from the floor in the game and won the rebounding battle 32-30.Christa Reed led Vanderbilt (15-10, 4-8) with 17 points.Kentucky returns to action on Thursday night, facing 11th-ranked Mississippi State in Starkville. That game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen on SEC Network.