No. 14 Kentucky women’s basketball (6-0) defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils (3-3) 77-61 on Tuesday evening as part of the Music City Classic.
Kentucky brought out its usual starting lineup consisting of Georgia Amoore, Dazia Lawrence, Amelia Hassett, Teonni Key and Clara Strack.
The first quarter featured a defensive battle between both squads, who shot poorly from the field. Strack, Kentucky’s leading scorer, ended the quarter with seven of the Cats’ 15 points.
A couple of minutes into the second quarter, the Sun Devils’ Kennedy Basham elbowed Amoore in the face on an attempted screen, dropping her to the floor. The referees reviewed if the foul could be upgraded to a flagrant foul, but ultimately gave the ball to Arizona State.
This sparked something in the Wildcats, as Amoore sprinted down the court and found a trailing Strack for a 3-pointer. Instantly after, Strack hit another layup to finish her own personal 7-0 run.
Amoore got into her offensive rhythm as well, nailing multiple jumpers after remaining scoreless for a majority of the first half.
The Wildcats outscored the Sun Devils 27-9 in the second quarter, mostly due to Strack and Key, who combined for 24 points and 10 rebounds before the break.
After halftime, the Sun Devils went on a run of their own, attempting to chip away at the Wildcat lead by drawing fouls and forcing tough shots.
Amoore gave her best effort to maintain the lead, having scored four quick points and handing out multiple assists to her teammates.
She brought her point total to 13 before the final quarter to go along with her seven assists. Key did her part on the defensive end in the third quarter as well, bringing her block total to five.
The Sun Devils cut the Wildcat lead down to eight after their season leading scorer Tyi Skinner hit a 3-pointer. This was only her second made shot of the game and she finished the contest shooting 3-19 from the field.
Kentucky slowed its pace down, taking longer on each possession and ultimately walking away with the win.
Strack finished the game with a double-double, scoring 24 points and snatching 10 boards. Amoore nearly had a double-double as well, finishing with 20 points and nine assists. Key had an impressive night, scoring 16 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and blocking six shots.
The Cats are back in action on Wednesday, Nov. 27, against the No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini. The game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. inside of the Trojan Fieldhouse. It will be streamed live on BallerTV.
