ATHENS, Ga. — It's not always going to be a work of art.
It's not always going to be a game for the post-season highlight reel.
Sixth-ranked Kentucky doesn't care how it looks as long as the end result is a win.
That's what they got Thursday night, a 69-64 victory at No. 15 Georgia despite a 10-point second-half deficit and the Bulldogs making UK's press look silly at times.
"Any way possible, we're going to find a way to win," said freshman Bria Goss, who had a career-high 22 points. "It might be ugly, but if it means we get that 'W,' then that's fine."
The win, the Cats' sixth in a row, helped UK remain unbeaten and stay atop the Southeastern Conference. It was the Cats' fifth win this season over a top-25 team.
"They showed tremendous character," Coach Matthew Mitchell said of UK (17-2, 6-0 SEC). "That's the third deficit on the road that we've come back from. That's a tough group of young women."
Goss had come back from a lackluster performance at South Carolina when the Cats' second-leading scorer missed all six of her shots.
But to her credit, she didn't hesitate to shoot Thursday, Mitchell said.
"She was doubting herself a little this week, and we tried to tell her that there's nobody we have more confidence in," he said. "She's a great, great player and we tried to spend a little extra time with her shooting. ... She played like the top-level player she is tonight."
Despite foul trouble, which had her sitting all but six minutes of the first half at Stegeman Coliseum, Goss amassed 17 of her points in the second half.
Thirteen came during a 24-7 UK run. Goss had plenty of help.
Samarie Walker had career highs of 18 points and nine rebounds. A'dia Mathies and Bernisha Pinkett added seven points apiece.
Mathies, Kentucky's leading scorer, got a lot of defensive attention from the Bulldogs (15-4, 4-2) and made just three of 10 shots. But Mitchell was pleased that she was able to stay engaged with a career-best 10 rebounds and four assists.
Unlike in previous wins this season, UK's press wasn't much of a factor against a short-handed Georgia team, so Mitchell called it off midway through the second half.
The gamble paid off.
"It ended up being a chess game of halfcourt defenses," Georgia Coach Andy Landers said.
Mitchell had hoped the press would be an advantage, but it wasn't.
"Georgia played great, worked hard," he said. "We had to win this one with real tough halfcourt defense. I don't think our press bothered them at all."
The Bulldogs, playing without point guard Jasmine James (injured knee), were led by Erika Ford's 17 points.
UK's bench was the difference, outscoring the Bulldogs' 34-0.
Georgia used a 12-3 run late in the first half to extend its lead and the Bulldogs led by as many as seven points late in the half.
The Bulldogs' defense held Kentucky to just one field goal in the half's final 5:40, a three-pointer by Keyla Snowden with 35 seconds left. That was the first make from long range for the Cats since early in the game when they hit three of their first four.
They made just one of their next eight and trailed 36-32 at the break.
The second half didn't start much better for the Cats, who fell behind by as many as 10 points early. It was UK's largest SEC deficit this season.
Then Kentucky used that huge 24-7 run to take the lead for good, 54-52, on Goss's three-pointer with 9:26 to play.
It wasn't always pretty, but it doesn't have to be, Mitchell reminded.
"I'm really proud of our team for fighting from behind once again on the road and finding a way to win," he said. "It's a real testament to our team each and every night that we all come to play and find a way to win."
