No. 16 Kentucky and Georgia Amoore keep rolling as Cats defeat Vandy in SEC road opener

The No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats delivered a 96-78 victory against Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sunday afternoon to remain undefeated in conference play.

Kentucky (13-1, 2-0 SEC) opened the matchup with momentum, scoring a season-high 31 first-quarter points to get the ball rolling against the Commodores (14-2, 1-1). The Wildcats shot 69.2% (9-for-13) from the field and 66.7% (6-for-9) from long range to take a 14-point advantage after the first 10 minutes, not missing a beat after their impressive, record-breaking 3-point performance against Mississippi State on Thursday night.

Again, UK relied on high-powered shooting from its starting five. All-America graduate point guard Georgia Amoore scored 10 points in the first period, while junior forward Amelia Hassett added nine.

Vanderbilt made defensive adjustments to better contain the Wildcats in the second quarter, and even managed to win the period, but UK largely maintained control of the pace of play and carried a double-digit lead into the locker room at halftime. Through the first half, three Wildcats had contributed double figures in scoring — Amoore with 10 points, and Hassett and graduate guard Dazia Lawrence each with 11.

However, the Commodores continued to push into the Wildcats’ lead, and opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to cut it to single digits as cold shooting from the field kept things too close for comfort. Kentucky shot just 33.3% (5-for-15) from the field in the third quarter and made only two shots (out of nine attempts) from beyond the arc. The Wildcats did benefit, though, from Vanderbilt foul trouble; the Commodores put the Wildcats in the bonus midway through the third period, and seven points from the free-throw line helped UK to a 13-point lead with 10 minutes to play.

The Wildcats struggled with foul trouble of their own, as both Hassett and junior forward Teonni Key had committed four fouls apiece, and Amoore had three, by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. But Amoore delivered another impressive quarter performance, scoring 12 points and keyed a 9-0 scoring run to cement the victory.

Amoore finished with 24 points, two rebounds and nine assists; it was her sixth consecutive game with at least 20 points. Hassett finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Sophomore center Clara Strack added 17 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Lawrence contributed 17 points, one rebound and two steals. Key added 14 points, seven rebounds, one block and one steal.

Freshman powerhouse Mikayla Blakes led the Commodores in scoring with 24 points. Khamil Pierre added 19, and Iyana Moore had 11.

No. 16 Kentucky at Florida

When: 5 p.m. Thursday

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WLAP-AM 630

Records: Kentucky 13-1 (2-0 SEC), Florida 10-6 (1-1)

Series: Kentucky leads 37-27

Last meeting: Kentucky won 81-77 on Feb. 18, 2024, at Rupp Arena

Kentucky women’s basketball moves up in national rankings after 2-0 SEC start

‘We’re very tough.’ UK women’s basketball displays length, strength in rout of Vandy.