Kentucky womens basketball defeated Bellarmine 63-45 inside Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, improving to 4-0 on the season. 

The win came less than a week after the Cats completed a successful game against Coastal Carolina in which they breezed by the Chanticleers 79-53. 

Kentucky sought to keep the Knights winless and ultimately did just that as it dominated nearly every aspect of the game.

Blair Green put up the first two points for Kentucky, going on to finish with 15 overall, her season high. Despite that, Green felt dissatisfied with her play.

“We’re a (much) better team than what we showed tonight,” Green said.

She went on to say that it was just an off night for the team, but that won’t stop them from shooting because eventually they’ll hit the shots.

The Knights held the Cats to a slow start in the first quarter, which ended with a score of 12-9, but UK eventually found its rhythm in the second quarter. 

The Wildcats were able to play more aggressively, with the defense allowing the Knights only eight points compared to 25 from Kentucky in the second quarter.

The last three minutes of the first half even saw Kentucky record a 9-0 scoring run right before the break.

Jada Walker was also a key player for Kentucky in the victory as she maintained an aggressive playstyle with a fast pace and confidence, forcing many turnovers against the Knights.

“She’s playing with so much confidence and off the court she’s grown so much,” Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy said.

Elzy also spoke on how Walker has a “dog” mentality, which leads few opponents to want to go against her for a full 40 minutes. 

Coming out of the half the Knights refused to go down without a fight.

When the dust settled on the third quarter, Kentucky had a comfortable 37-17 lead, but Bellarmine was able to put up more points this quarter than the Wildcats. 

The fourth quarter was, again, a more even split as both teams went to work on offense.

Kentucky scored 11 points in the quarter while Bellarmine one-upped them with 12, though the game had been without doubt before the quarter even began.

Though each team’s field goal percentage finishing at 31%, Kentucky was able to hold on and secure the victory of the fourth quarter 

Elzy was not impressed with the outcome of the game, despite the final being 63-45, saying she felt as though her team could’ve driven more points home. 

“We let our offense affect our defense,” Elzy said. “We missed some open threes (that) we were capable of hitting. We missed some layups. I thought we got really defeated after that.”

The Wildcats return to action on Monday, Nov. 21, as they play two opponents in The Bahamas.

The first game for the “Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship” is slated for noon EST against No. 14 Virginia Tech and will air on FloHoops.