No. 10 Kentucky loses PG Thompson to dislocated ankle
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Kentucky coach Matthew Mitchell struggled to describe the loss of point guard Janee Thompson.
The Wildcat junior dislocated her left ankle, a gruesome-looking injury that had teammates and opponents shocked and turning away in tears.
"It doesn't look good," Mitchell said. "I just don't have a lot of medical knowledge and don't know what it all means."
Or how it will affect the Wildcats going forward.
No. 10 Kentucky fell to No. 1 South Carolina 68-60 on Sunday, a result marred by Thompson's injury. She was moving right to left guarding South Carolina's Khadijah Sessions when the two hit the floor and Thompson immediately began shouting in pain.
"It didn't look the way a leg is supposed to look," South Carolina forward Aleighsa Welch said. "It obviously sent shockwaves through everybody."
Trainers and Mitchell quickly surrounded Thompson to immobilize the affected area and prepare her for the hospital where the coach said she'll be evaluated.
"It's not a minor injury," he said.
The 5-foot-7 Thompson had nine points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal when she got hurt. Thompson was also one of Kentucky's most consistent players at driving through South Carolina's staunch defense.
Kentucky teammates huddled in prayer at the bench before rushing to console Thompson as she was wheeled out of Colonial Life Arena. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina freshman A'ja Wilson also came out to offer support.
Kentucky players were not available to take questions.
"We let her know our prayers are with her and with her team, hoping she come back to a speedy recovery," Welch said.
Thompson's absence is another blow for the Wildcats (14-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who are already playing without senior guard Bria Goss. Goss has missed the past six games with a broken left thumb.
Kentucky had a 38-35 halftime lead, but South Carolina (16-0, 4-0) used a 15-6 run to start the second half to gain control.
The Wildcats closed to 50-46 on Jennifer O'Neill's bucket with 11:11 left. But Khadijah Sessions followed with her third 3-pointer to restore South Carolina's margin and Kentucky could get no closer.
O'Neill scored 13 to lead Kentucky.
Defending SEC player of the year Tiffany Mitchell scored 13 of her 19 points in South Carolina's second-half rally.
Sessions finished with 12 points and Welch had nine points and 11 rebounds for South Carolina.
South Carolina came out shooting well, Sessions hitting a pair of 3s as the Gamecocks took a 16-12 lead. That's when Kentucky and O'Neill put together a 20-9 run to take control.
O'Neill, a former starter who's come off the bench in SEC play, opened the surge with a 3-pointer and had two more buckets in the run. When O'Neill closed things with jumper with 4:24 to play, Kentucky was up 32-25 over South Carolina.
The Gamecocks got within a point, 36-35, with 14 seconds left in the period, but Thompson drove past three defenders to put the Wildcats up 38-35 at the break. It was just the third time South Carolina had trailed after 20 minutes this season, all to ranked opponents.
The Gamecocks rallied from their two previous times to defeat No. 21 Syracuse in November and No. 13 Duke last month.
South Carolina's first-half shooting struggles matched those of its two top scorers. Wilson, the country's No. 1 recruit last season, was 1 of 6 from the field. Wilson ended with eight points on 3 of 13 shooting. She also had nine rebounds.
Kentucky went cold during South Carolina's second-half rally, making just three of its first 19 shots to fall behind.
FOUL SHOT DISPARITY
South Carolina moved in front in part because of its physical play underneath the boards. The Gamecocks took 20 of their 26 foul shots in the second half while Kentucky went to the line just four times after halftime. Mitchell led things with 9 of 10 free throws in the period, including all four foul shots after Mitchell's technical fouls.
EJECTED
Matthew Mitchell would not comment when asked if frustration led to his two technical and ejection late in the game. "I would love to have a good discussion with you, but it's just not allowed to talk about officiating," he said.
TIP INS
Kentucky: The Wildcats fell to 1-17 all-time against No. 1 opponents, their only victory against top-ranked teams coming over Tennessee in 2006.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have won 26 straight games at Colonial Life Arena, the longest active such streak in the country.
UP NEXT
Kentucky returns home to play Florida on Thursday night.
South Carolina hits the road to play Missouri on Thursday night.