The crowd erupted as No. 20 Kentucky women’s basketball (4-0) secured a 71-61 overtime victory over rival No. 18 Louisville (2-2).
This win snapped the Cardinals’ seven-year winning streak against the Wildcats with Kentucky’s last win coming on Dec. 10, 2015.
“I’m very proud of them, even when it wasn’t pretty they kept fighting and they found a way, and you know, we’ll continue to use that as momentum,” Kentucky Head Coach Kenny Brooks said.
Kentucky extended its all-time series lead against Louisville to 35-25, while Brooks extended his record against Louisville to 4-7, marking his fourth consecutive win against the Cardinals.
The night played out to be a game of firsts for the Wildcats, as the Battle for the Bluegrass marked Head Coach Brooks’ first ranked win at Kentucky.
The fully packed Historic Memorial Coliseum was filled to the brim with over 6,250 fans– the first sold-out women’s basketball game in a while and the first since the new renovations.
Kentucky announced the same starting five they’ve been using all season: Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key, Dazia Lawrence, Clara Strack and Amelia Hassett.
It’s the first time Big Blue Nation has seen the Wildcats play against equal competition, and more importantly, it has started to understand the hype around Coach Brooks’ transfer class.
Fifth-year veteran Amoore, who has already been named to the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Watchlist and named First-Team all SEC, gave Kentucky a taste of the success and leadership she is capable of.
The 5-foot-6 guard played a total of 45 minutes and led the team with 19 points and nine assists.
Amoore led the Wildcats to a gritty, tightly contested win that included loose balls, questionable calls and hard fouls.
Both teams faced significant challenges during the game, struggling with turnovers and fouls, combining for 43 turnovers and 35 fouls, preventing either squad from gaining consistent momentum throughout the game.
The clock ran out with the teams tied at 58, a testament to the Wildcats’ resilience. Luckily for the Cats, overtime played out in their favor.
During overtime, Louisville’s inability to produce points off free throws and four turnovers allowed Kentucky to gain what felt like the first streak of momentum for either team during the game.
An open layup during the last 30 seconds of the game by Key sealed the deal for Kentucky in extra time.
“She’s the key, no pun intended,” Brooks said. “Tonight, might have been the best games she’s played in her career in college, and to have it be against Louisville that’s something special.”
Kentucky will look to extend its win streak to five when it returns to Historic Memorial Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 18, at 6:00 p.m., to face the Fort Wayne Mastodons. The game will air live on SEC Network+.
