No. 9 seed Kentucky (22-9, 8-8 SEC) defeats N0. 16 seed Arkansas (12-20, 1-15 SEC) 94-64 in the opening round of the 2025-26 SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Wildcats 30 point margin-of-victory accounts for the largest win against a conference opponent this season.

Amelia Hassett was lights out from behind the arc in this game, tying her career record for 3-pointers made with six. She finished with 18 points and five rebounds.

Clara Strack, Jordan Obi and Tonie Morgan each recorded double-doubles. Strack finished with a team-high 20 points and 13 rebounds, she also recorded three blocks. Morgan scored 14 points and dished out 10 assists. Obi had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Two other Wildcats also finished with double-digit scoring, the others were Teonni Key (12) and Asia Boone (10).

Kentucky took a lead after the first possession of the game and never relented. The Wildcats lead grew as large as 36 points, they were leading for 39:39.

The Wildcats had a dominant performance on the glass, out-rebounding Arkansas 52-27. The Wildcats turned 17 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points.

This was the 46th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Arkansas, the Wildcats have a 30-16 lead in the series.

With this win, Kentucky has moved to an even 45-45 program record in SEC Tournament games.

Hassett opened the game with a 3-pointer on the first possession. Asia Boone got a 3-pointer of her own on the next possession, a quick 6-0 lead for the Cats.

After starting 5 for 8 from the field, Kentucky took a 16-4 lead five minutes in. Arkansas called its first timeout after a 3-pointer from Boone capped off a 7-0 Kentucky run.

After the hot start, Kentucky went on a one for seven shooting stretch. Hassett broke the three-minute field goal drought with a 3-pointer that gave Kentucky a 22-7 lead.

Hassett drained her third 3-pointer of the quarter, extending the Wildcats run to 18-3.

Obi got her own rebound and made the put-back as time expired in the first quarter.

Kentucky held a 29-10 lead after one quarter, it tied the highest scoring first quarter against an SEC opponent this season.

The Wildcats shot 9 for 20 (45%) from the field with five 3-pointers. Arkansas shot 4 of 18 (22%) and 14% from 3-point range.

The Razorbacks began the second quarter with a 6-2 run, pulling back within 15 points.

Kentucky grew its lead back to 20 points after Hassett’s fourth 3-pointer of the game.

Arkansas made three shots in a row to mount a 7-0 run in a minute and a half, The Cats still led 38-25

Strack ended a three-minute scoring drought with post-fades on back-to-back possessions, giving Kentucky a 42-27 lead.

Kentucky missed its last seven shots of the first half, going scoreless for the last three minutes.

Arkansas shot 9 for 18 (50%) from the field in the quarter, while Kentucky’s efficiency dropped to 37.5%

Arkansas outscored Kentucky 23-13 in the second quarter, Kentucky still held a 42-33 lead at the break.

Hassett led Kentucky’s first-half scoring with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Strack also stood out with 11 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

For Arkansas, it was Taleyah Jones who led the offense. Jones had a team-high 11 points and two assists in the first half, nine of these points came in the second quarter.

Kentucky dominated the rebounding margin in the first half, holding a 27-17 edge on the glass. The Cats also scored nine second-chance points while holding Arkansas to zero.

The Cats put together a 7-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half, extending their lead back to 16 points.

Arkansas called a timeout after Hassett’s fifth 3-pointer of the game put Kentucky ahead 54-35.

The Wildcats continued to grow their lead, mounting an 11-0 run during Arkansas’s two minute scoring drought to pull ahead by 25 points.

Kentucky outscored Arkansas 28-10 in the third quarter, taking a 70-43 lead into the fourth.

The Razorbacks shot 4 for 17 (23.5%) from the field in the quarter with four turnovers. The Wildcats shot 9 for 17 (52.9%) from the field.

Kentucky outrebounded Arkansas 16-6 in the third quarter.

Morgan grabbed a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup, this extended the Wildcats lead to 31 points.

The Wildcats called a timeout after a two-minute scoring drought, they still held an 85-54 lead.

Kentucky made three straight shots following the timeout while Arkansas went scoreless for over two minutes, this allowed the Cats to grow their lead to 36 points.

The Wildcats closed out the game and finished with a 30-point win.

The Wildcats will take on No. 8 seed Georgia in the second round of the 2025-26 SEC Tournament. The game will be on Thursday, March 5, at 11 a.m. ET.