TOP 25 SEC WOMEN

Stallworth steps up with attitude

— Kentucky Coach Matthew Mitchell has been imploring DeNesha Stallworth to do more for the eighth-ranked Wildcats.

It appears he finally got through to his center.

Stallworth had 12 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record 7 blocks as Kentucky held off No. 10 Texas A&M 70-66 on Monday night.

Mitchell said Stallworth had a different look in her eyes before the game, and he had a feeling she’d have a big night.

“Her toughness,” Mitchell replied when asked what he liked about her performance. “She just came out real aggressive. ... That’s what we need to be the kind of team we can be.”

Texas A&M Coach Gary Blair raved about Stallworth’s play.

“Stallworth hurt us the whole night,” Blair said. “She’s quick on her feet. We couldn’t control her.”

Stallworth’s previous high in blocks was four. She said her attitude was the key to her big night.

“Just being confident and believing in myself,” she said. “I thought it was really important for me to step up. I felt confident. I was just hoping I did good.”

Courtney Walker scored four quick points, the last two when she drove hard to the basket for a layup, to trim Texas A&M’s deficit to 66-64 with about a minute remaining.

Kentucky (23-3, 11-2 SEC) missed a three-pointer as the shot clock expired, but it bounced off the rim and Stallworth batted the rebound to Bria Goss for an easy layup that made it 68-64.

Walker was fouled on a made jump shot with four seconds left and purposely missed the ensuing free throw. But Goss grabbed the rebound and hit two free throws to seal it.

Walker’s 20 points led Texas A&M (20-6, 10-2), which lost for the first time since a 65-62 defeat Jan. 10 at Kentucky in the first-ever meeting between the schools.

The Aggies reeled off eight consecutive victories after that, before Kentucky extended its winning streak to four games with Monday’s victory.

Kentucky had just finished a big run when the Aggies went on one, using a 16-6 spurt to cut the lead to 64-60 with about 4 1/2 minutes remaining. Kentucky’s offense went cold during that stretch and the Wildcats didn’t score for three minutes.

Texas A&M’s Kelsey Bone was held to nine points with 10 rebounds on Monday.

SWAC WOMEN PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 62, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 59

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - Jeanette Jackson scored 15 points as Prairie View A&M beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Lady Lions (9-16, 5-10 Southwestern Athletic Conference) led 59-58 with 44 seconds remaining after Asia Rhines-Malone’s layup. But with 28 seconds remaining, Latia Williams scored to give Prairie View A&M (10-14, 6-8) a 60-59 lead.

On UAPB’s next possession, Chi Chi Okwumabua turned the ball over and Jackson sealed the victory with two free throws with six seconds remaining.

Lakendra Marsh led the Lady Lions with 12 points.

Sports, Pages 21 on 02/19/2013

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