Kentucky women’s basketball picks up 5th straight double-digit win in SEC play at Georgia

Kenny Brooks and the No. 12 Kentucky women’s basketball team sailed to 5-0 in Southeastern Conference play with a 78-64 victory against Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Sunday afternoon.

Kentucky (16-1, 5-0 SEC) was successful in disrupting the Bulldogs’ system early on. Georgia started play by missing seven of its first eight field-goal attempts and turned the ball over four times in the first quarter while only scoring four points.

The Wildcats were led in scoring at that point by Georgia Amoore, who contributed 11 points (including three 3-pointers) and two assists in the first 10 minutes. Clara Strack put up six points, seven rebounds and one assist while Amelia Hassett added six points, two rebounds, one block and one steal in the first quarter. Kentucky closed the first period on an 11-0 scoring run to build a 19-point lead.

Though the Wildcats stretched their lead to 24 midway through the second quarter, Georgia (9-11, 1-5) made key adjustments and went on a 10-1 scoring run to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 15. However, Kentucky had an answer in the form of an 8-0 run over the course of 84 seconds, and it held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 3:50 of the first half. The Wildcats also received help from junior forward Teonni Key, who scored six points and pulled in a pair of rebounds in the second quarter.

Georgia pushed into Kentucky’s lead further in the second half, forcing six turnovers and outscoring the Wildcats 21-12 in the third period to cut its deficit to 15. Only three Wildcats managed to score in the third quarter, but Strack led the way with seven more points to ease the blow. The Bulldogs also held Amoore to only three points on 1-for-5 shooting from the field.

Again, the Bulldogs held a scoring edge in the final period of play, but Strack and Amoore kept Georgia at bay. The Bulldogs pulled within as few as 12 points, their closest margin since the first period.

The final quarter also included a pair of notable shakeups — Hassett exited following a contested layup that resulted in her being hit in the face and an intentional foul assessed to Georgia guard Summer Davis at the 4:54 mark, and a collision beneath the basket between Georgia forward Mia Woolfolk and Strack’s knee with 1:42 to play resulted in Woolfolk exiting with help from the medical staff. Hassett took a breather to stop a nose bleed but quickly reentered the game. Woolfolk did not return.

The victory was Kentucky’s first SEC win not won by at least 16 points. Previously, the Wildcats won 91-69 vs. Mississippi State on Jan. 2, 96-78 at Vanderbilt on Jan. 5, 71-55 at Florida on Jan. 9 and 80-61 vs. Auburn on Jan. 12.

Strack led the Wildcats in scoring with 25 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists and one block. Amoore had 24 points and eight assists. Hassett contributed 25 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a steal. Key added nine points, four rebounds and one steal. Graduate guard Dazia Lawrence did not score after averaging 14.5 points through the first 16 contests.

De’Mauri Flournoy and Trinity Turner led the Bulldogs in scoring with 19 points apiece. Former Kentucky player Nyah Leveretter, now with Georgia, was 0-for-2 from the field and finished with zero points, two rebounds, two fouls and one turnover in about nine minutes of play.

Next game

No. 12 Kentucky at Texas A&M

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Records: Kentucky 16-1 (5-0 SEC), Texas A&M 9-8 (2-3)

Series: Texas A&M leads 10-5

Last meeting: Texas A&M won 61-44 at Rupp Arena on Feb. 11, 2024