GREENVILLE, S.C. — Robyn Benton scored 20 points, Adebola Adeyeye added 11 with 17 rebounds, and No. 14 seed Kentucky beat No. 11 seed Florida 72-57 on Wednesday at the Southeastern Conference women’s basketball tournament in a first-round game marred by a scuffle.
The Wildcats (11-18) snapped a seven-game losing streak and advanced to play sixth-seeded Alabama (20-9) as the tournament continues Thursday.
The game had a 22-minute delay for an official review after an altercation between Florida forward Tatyana Wyche and Kentucky counterpart Ajae Petty with 5:26 remaining in the second quarter. Wyche threw the ball in the direction of Petty and then chased after her downcourt.
No punches appeared to be thrown, but several players left the bench area, leading to eight ejections — four from each team.
“Well, obviously that’s not how we want to represent ourselves as Florida women’s basketball and in the competitive spirit,” Gators coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “So first and foremost, I apologize for that because that is not representative of the SEC, University of Florida, or how we compete.”