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Holly Warwick Praises Maci Morris

Junior guard Maci Morris fights through contact during a 63-49 loss to Tennessee at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, December 31, 2017. Morris finished with a game-high 18 points in the loss. Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country).

 

The Kentucky women’s basketball team is in the midst of a six-game losing streak, which has overshadowed how well junior guard Maci Morris has been playing.

 

Morris, a 6-0 junior from Pineville, Ky., is leading the Wildcats in scoring with an average of 16.1 points per game. Morris has only failed to reach double figures on one occasion this season, a six-point outing in a loss to Florida Gulf Coast.

 

Since that game against Florida Gulf Coast, Morris has scored a total of 68 points over the last four games. Early in Sunday’s loss to Tennessee, Morris was hit above the left eye with an elbow, resulting in a cut that required two stitches.

 

Despite the attention Tennessee gave towards her, the Bell County native scored a game-high 18 points in a 63-49 loss to the Lady Vols on Sunday afternoon. Tennessee head coach Holly Warwick had high praise for Morris, saying she is difficult to match up with because of her ability to shoot and penetrate. Tennessee’s defense was designed to keep eyes on her at all times.

 

Morris was the only UK player to reach double figures vs. Tennessee and the only one to hit more than four shots. She entered the week ranked fifth in the country and first in the SEC in three-point shooting at 51.5 percent. After a 3-of-11 performance for the week, that number drops to 48 percent, which is still one of the best in the country.

 

The season isn’t going as planned for the Wildcats but Morris is posting the best numbers of her UK career. Her 16.1 points per game are almost five points higher than her career-best 11.8 average. Additionally, her 4.6 rebounds per game is a career high and she needs four more steals to set a new career best.

 

Toughness is one word to describe Maci Morris and she gets it from her parents. When asked if she thought about not coming back after the injury, Morris replied, “It was no question. I was coming back.”

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