No. 24 Kentucky women’s basketball (2-0) bounced back magnificently from season-opener struggles to defeat Monmouth (1-1) 104-46

Kentucky showed incredible resilience, bouncing back from the offensive struggles it was plagued with in the season opener. The offense was on fire from tip-off to the final buzzer.

This was the first time the Wildcats reached triple-digit scoring since Dec. 5, 2017 against Evansville.

While the Wildcats defense filled up the stat sheet in the season opener, but they struggled with limiting open shots. That was not the case in this game, Monmouth was held to just 18-63 (29%) shooting from the field and 5-25 (20%) from 3-point range.

That’s not to say the Cats didn’t also fill up the stat sheets in this one. Kentucky finished with 12 offensive rebounds, 30 defensive rebounds, seven steals and eight blocks.

Clara Strack headlined the defensive effort once again with three blocks and a steal.

The biggest improvement came in the form of 3-point shooting, UK shot 17-36 (47.2 %) from behind the arc in this game. A huge improvement over the 4-24 (16.7%) shooting against Morehead State. Lexi Blue led this effort, shooting 6-7 (85.7%) from behind the arc.

Blue shattered her career high in points, with a team-leading 18 points in 18 minutes. Asia Boone also got involved in the 3-point barrage shooting 4-6 from behind the arc, she ended with 14 points.

Monmouth was without a made FG in the first 8:17 of game time, in that time Kentucky mounted a 21-1 run to pull ahead comfortably before the end of the first quarter.

Blue hit her third 3-point shot of the game with 6:37 remaining in the second quarter. Asia Boone had two of her own at the time. This was the team’s fifth 3-pointer of the game, surpassing their first game total in 13:23 of game time.

Kentucky’s dominant first half allowed them to hold a 55-18 lead at the break.

In the first half, Kentucky boasted shooting splits of 55%/37%/57% while holding Monmouth to 16%/25%/71%.

The Wildcats also dominated the boards in the first half, holding a 26-17 edge. UK also had five blocks and four steals at the break.

Blue led the Wildcats in scoring in the first half with 12 points on 4-5 shooting, 4-4 from behind the arc, in just eight minutes of playing time.

Kentucky had 13 assists against Morehead State. They surpassed that total 1:58 into the second half.

Blue ended the 3rd quarter with 3-point makes on back-to-back possessions, this brought her to 6-6 from behind the arc.

The Wildcats carried their first half into the second. In the third quarter, Kentucky shot 11-16 (68.8%) from the field and 5-8 (62.5%) from behind the arc. UK outscored Monmouth 29-16 in the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Gabby Brooks sank two 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions for her first points of the season. Her father and head coach, Kenny Brooks, couldn’t help but smile from the bench.

The Wildcats shot 17-27 (63%) from the field and 10-17 (58.8%) from 3-point range in the second half, allowing them to cruise to a dominant victory.

This was the first ever matchup between Kentucky and Monmouth. The Wildcats improved to 7-3 against Coastal Athletic Association opponents, Monmouth is now 0-3 against SEC competition.

The Wildcats’ will hit the road for their first away game of the 2025-26 season. Kentucky is slated to head back to Strack’s hometown for a matchup against University at Buffalo on Sunday, Nov. 9, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.