Kentucky women’s basketball ‘connected and confident’ in bounce-back win vs. Arkansas

Kenny Brooks always tells his roster that “life is 10% what happens to you, 90% is how you deal with it,” and the No. 11 Kentucky women’s basketball team put that into action in its 89-69 bounce-back victory against Arkansas on Sunday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.

The Wildcats’ big victory helped them right the ship after a disappointing, upset loss at Texas A&M on Thursday.

“There was nothing we could do about the Texas A&M game,” Brooks said. “But we could do a lot about what the future was going to hold. And they came out, we had two really good practices where they were loose, confident, and I think it showed today.”

Against the Aggies, the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 SEC) didn’t block any shots and made just one 3-pointer out of 18 attempts. Days later against the Razorbacks, Kentucky blocked 10 shots and made 13 of its 28 3-point attempts while all five of its starters reaching double digits in scoring, including double-doubles from both Teonni Key and Clara Strack.

“Today we just all came out with more energy, more focus,” Key said. “Just more togetherness, I think, just being connected and confident with what we’re doing as individuals, that helps everyone really get to their spots, know what they’re doing and stuff like that. So I think, obviously, we had some ups and downs, but I think that was the biggest difference, was just being out there together, being confident as individuals and as a group.”

And, though the loss pushes Arkansas to just 8-14 overall and 1-6 in the Southeastern Conference, the Razorbacks presented a series of challenges.

First, there was impressive senior transfer Izzy Higginbottom, who entered the contest ranked fifth in the nation and first in the league in points per game (22.8). She scored 32 points against UK — her third 30-point game of the season — and led Arkansas to a series of runs to helped it outscore Kentucky in second and fourth quarters, making Kentucky’s 19-point edge in the first period all the more significant.

Second, the Razorbacks ranked fifth in the SEC in made 3-pointers per game (7.5) and shot 31.3% from long range through their first 21 contests. Against the Wildcats, Arkansas hit 12 3-pointers on 41.4% shooting from beyond the arc (12-for-29).

“I knew this game was going to be a challenging game,” Brooks said. “Just because (of) Arkansas’ style, and they shoot the 3. The 3s that you saw them shooting and hitting tonight, you know, that’s something that they do. We expected that, and we knew that that was something that could present challenges for us, but proud of our kids. You know, we came out. We didn’t always play great, but we had some flashes where we looked really good, and it’s really good to get back in the win column.”

Despite the Wildcats leading for more than 39 minutes of Sunday’s contest, Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors joked that he wished the teams could continue the battle.

“I feel like we ought to be playing our fifth set right now,” Neighbors said. “But I know that’s not how it works in basketball. It’s 2-to-2, in quarters, you know? ... I get it, but when you get down 29 to 10, game’s over, on the road, a lot of nights. Your momentum is down, the crowd’s into it. It’s hard to come back from that start, but I thought from that point on, we kind of battled a little bit.”

Higginbottom also recorded two rebounds, three assists and one steal. She was joined in double figures in scoring by junior guard Carly Keats, who added 14 points, two rebounds and one assist, and sophomore forward Jenna Lawrence, who finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

All-America point guard Georgia Amoore led the Wildcats in scoring with 19 points, and added three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Strack contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Junior forward Amelia Hassett finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks; she did not score a point against the Aggies. Graduate guard Dazia Lawrence added 14 points and two steals. Key finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.

Kentucky will next face a string of high-level opponents, beginning with a matchup against No. 19 Alabama on Thursday at Memorial Coliseum. After the clash with the Tide, Kentucky travels to No. 15 Oklahoma on Feb. 2 and Ole Miss on Feb. 10 before No. 7 Texas comes to Lexington on Feb. 13.

“They’ve got a chance to really go,” Neighbors said. “I know they’ve got a tough stretch coming. I’ve seen his schedule. He’s got a tough stretch coming, but they’re ready for it.”

Alabama (17-4, 4-3) suffered a 66-64 loss to Vanderbilt at home on Sunday. Only Sarah Ashlee Barker scored more than eight points for the Tide in the loss. She finished with 36 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Next game

No. 19 Alabama at No. 11 Kentucky

When: 7 p.m. EST Thursday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Records: Kentucky 17-2 (6-1 SEC), Alabama 17-4 (4-3)

Series: Kentucky leads 36-19

Last meeting: Alabama won 91-74 on Jan. 28, 2024, at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.