No. 16 Kentucky women’s basketball took its first road win against Purdue 82-52 in the first time the Boilermakers hosted the Wildcats in a very rowdy and full Mackey Arena.
“Tonight, I thought they did a really good job of handling being away from home in an environment that is pretty good,” Head Coach Kenny Brooks said following the win.
The noise didn’t phase Kentucky as it took its first win against a Big 10 team in 374 days. Purdue will travel to Lexington next year, as the matchup also marked the first game of a home-and-home series.
The starting lineup, consisting of Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key, Dazia Lawrence, Clara Strack and Amelia Hassett, stayed as usual.
The Wildcats have struggled to get shots off in the first quarter all season and that trend continued tonight. Four out of their first six shots were from the three, and none of them made it to the basket.
Heading into the first media timeout, Kentucky shot 1-8 and tallied three turnovers, with Purdue taking the lead 4-2.
Following the break, Kentucky had some offensive success. Amoore found the net and scored four points to end the quarter and Hassett hit a jump shot.
Heading into the second quarter, Purdue held onto a 12-8 lead, with Kentucky shooting 0-7 from the three and little-to-no offensive momentum for either team.
Despite that, the second quarter proved more successful for both teams’ offenses. The Cats came out hot, with Amoore and Cassidy Rowe hitting early shots to close the gap. Two more scores by Amoore and a Strack shot led them to take their first lead of the game with a 7-0 run heading into a timeout.
The lead for Kentucky only grew more from there and the Boilermakers could not find the net as the Wildcats continued making their shots. A 3-pointer buzzer beater made by Lawrence sent Kentucky up 32-23 heading into halftime.
UK held Destini Lombard, Purdue’s leading scorer, to zero points, hitting only two shots in all 20 minutes of play.
Heading into the third quarter, Lawrence came out just as hot, with a 3-pointer putting up Kentucky’s first half-points. Both teams found momentum in the first six minutes, but Kentucky was able to take a double-digit lead heading into a media break, the score sitting at 44-33.
Following the break, Strack tracked down an offensive rebound to secure her fifth double-double of the season and, with a 3-pointer made by Hassett, Purdue was forced to take its second timeout only a minute after the media timeout.
Kentucky continued dominating the quarter, going on a 13-0 run in the final five minutes of the third.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Kentucky held a 19-point lead, which quickly became 20. Even with offensive momentum and strength, Purdue struggled to shrink the deficit as personal fouls let UK respond to nearly all its points with free throws.
The early offensive struggles by the Wildcats were made up for in the final minutes, shooting 78.6 percent, 57.1 percent from the three and with all five starters scoring double digits. Clara Silva’s shot in the final thirty seconds secured the Wildcats’ ninth double-digit win of the year.
Kentucky will return to Lexington, facing off against the Belmont Bruins on Friday, Dec. 20, inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET and will be aired live on the SEC Network+.
