No. 11 Kentucky women’s basketball bounces back with a dominant win against Arkansas

Kenny Brooks and the No. 11 Kentucky women’s basketball team returned to the win column on Sunday afternoon against Arkansas, 89-69, at Memorial Coliseum.

Following a disappointing outing in their first SEC loss of the season to Texas A&M on Thursday, the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 SEC) scored the first 11 points and totaled two blocked shots in the first three minutes of Sunday’s contest.

UK appeared energized and focused, and it connected more 3-pointers (three) against the Razorbacks in the first quarter than it did in the entirety of Thursday’s loss (one) while taking a 19-point lead.

Kentucky led by as many as 25 points midway through the second quarter, and it got a boost from freshman Lexi Blue, who scored five points in seven minutes. Blue had not played in a game since UK’s Jan. 9 win at Florida.

But the Razorbacks (8-14, 1-6) found a rhythm behind leading scorer Izzy Higginbottom — who ranks fifth in the nation in points per game (22.8), fourth in the Power Four and first in the SEC. The Razorbacks assembled an 8-0 run in the back half of the period and won the quarter 18-15, yet Kentucky maintained control with a 16-point lead at halftime.

The Wildcats exited the locker room with momentum and scored 33 points in the third quarter. During that period, in which the Razorbacks made five shots from beyond the arc, three Wildcats — Amelia Hassett, Dazia Lawrence and Clara Strack — scored nine points, and combined for seven made 3-pointers.

The Wildcats returned to their early-SEC form, delivering their fifth league victory by at least 16 points. Kentucky shot 47.6% from the field (30-for-63), including 46.4% from long range (13-for-28) in the win. Only one Wildcat, Strack, committed four personal fouls in the contest after three posted four against Texas A&M.

Five Wildcats finished in double figures in scoring against the Razorbacks.

All-America point guard Georgia Amoore led the way with 19 points. She added three rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Strack finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, plus one assist and four blocks. Hassett added 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal. Lawrence contributed 14 points, one rebound, one assist, one block and two steals. Teonni Key had 13 points and 11 rebounds with one assist, one block and two steals.

Against UK, Higginbottom exceeded her season scoring average. She finished with 32 points, marking her third 30-point contest of the season. Forward Jenna Lawrence scored 13 points. Guard Carly Keats scored 14.

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 17-3 (4-2)

Series: Kentucky leads 36-19

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

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