No. 14 Kentucky women’s basketball (7-1) fell 72-53 on the road inside Carmichael Arena against the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1) in the second annual ACC/SEC Challenge Thursday night.
This moved UK’s all-time ACC/SEC matchup record to 1-1 and all-time record against North Carolina to 1-6.
In the Wildcat’s first true road contest of the season, Kenny Brooks picked up his first loss as Kentucky’s head coach after becoming the second coach in program history to begin their first season undefeated through seven games.
Kentucky went into the matchup 7-0 for the first time since the 2019-20 season and had already defeated two ranked teams earlier in the season.
The Wildcats started the familiar five they’ve relied on for most of the season with Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key, Clara Strack, Dazia Lawrence and Amelia Hassett.
The first quarter started slow for Kentucky. North Carolina took an early lead of 16-6 on the Cats heading into the first media timeout and, after another 3-pointer by the Tar Heels, Kentucky was faced with its largest point deficit of the season, trailing 19-6.
After Strack committed two personal fouls in the first quarter, Brooks subbed in Cassidy Rowe and Clara Silva and things began clicking for Kentucky on both the offense and defensive side.
Kentucky went into the second quarter following an impressive 10-0 run, with Lawrence sinking a 3-point shot in the last 30 seconds of the first, shrinking North Carolina’s lead to five.
After Hassett missed a 3-pointer in the last two minutes of the first half, Kentucky entered halftime down by double digits for the first time this season with its lowest-scoring half through its first seven games, trailing 36-25.
Entering the third quarter, Kentucky started hot with a 7-0 run following the first two minutes of play, its defense leading the Tar Heels to shoot 1-7 from the field.
After both teams’ back-and-forth drives down the court, the Wildcats headed into the media timeout, closing the deficit to nine with the Tar heels leading 43-34.
Kentucky was forced to take its first time out with a minute-and-a-half left in the third quarter after UNC’s offense recovered Strack’s blocked shot and converted to another three.
Despite offensive efforts, Kentucky again trailed by eleven heading into the final quarter, down 50-39.
The Wildcats once again began the quarter strong, with Hassett hitting two 3-point shots in the early minutes and Lawrence hitting another 3-pointer. Brooks took his second timeout with seven minutes left, trailing 58-48.
Two missed free throws by Strack kept Kentucky at a double-digit deficit with just over four minutes left and, after four straight possessions ended with zero points, the Cats were simply unable to find offensive momentum.
After a missed three-pointer by Strack in the last 15 seconds of play, the Wildcats took their first loss of the season 53-72.
In all four quarters, North Carolina never faltered and remained in control, leading during all 40 minutes of play. Kentucky was unable to close the gap following the early deficit, seeing true defensive struggles for the first time this season.
The Kentucky Wildcats will return to Lexington, facing off against Queens University of Charlotte inside Historic Memorial Coliseum on Monday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
