Makayla Epps scored a game-high 30 points and Evelyn Akhator added 22 while Maci Morris made seven free throws in the final minute as fourth-seeded Kentucky hung on for a 73-70 victory over 13th-seeded Belmont in the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament on Friday at Lexington, Ky.
The Wildcats snapped the 21-game winning streak by the Bruins, who last lost Dec. 14, but Kentucky (22-10) did not have an easy time advancing.
In fact, Darby Maggard of the Bruins missed a game-tying three-pointer with one second left.
Kylee Smith led Belmont with 22 points and helped the Bruins (27-6) rally back from an early double-digit deficit.
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Kentucky led 23-13 at the end of the first quarter. However, Belmont rallied late in the second quarter and took a 36-35 halftime lead, the last two points coming on Smith's free throws with 31 seconds left.
The Wildcats then appeared to take over by scoring the first 13 points of the second half. Epps got seven of those points, including a 3-point shot that put Kentucky up 48-36.
Belmont, the Ohio Valley regular season and tournament champions, needed over six minutes to score a point in the third quarter during that 13-0 Kentucky run.
The Bruins missed eight shots and turned it over four times during that dry spell.
Belmont repeatedly rallied after that, especially in the fourth quarter while Kentucky tried to pull away but couldn't. The teams exchanged free throws in the final minute that left the Wildcats with a 69-66 lead with 25 seconds left.
The Bruins then got two Sally McCabe free throws and cut Kentucky's edge to 69-68 with 13 seconds remaining. Morris then sank two Wildcats free throws three seconds later.
Smith's layup for Belmont made it 71-70. Morris added two more free throws with three seconds left before Maggard missed the game-tying three-point attempt.
Morris finished with 15 points, with the biggest seven coming on those late free throws.
McCabe posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds for Belmont. Maggard added 15 in the loss.
Kentucky is in the tournament for a school-record eighth consecutive season, and has advanced to the Elite Eight three times.
Belmont appeared in its third NCAA tournament, but second in four seasons under coach Cameron Newbauer. The Bruins won 13 road games this season, second only to top-ranked Connecticut (14).
Kentucky faces either No. 5 Ohio State or No. 12 Western Kentucky on Sunday.
