No. 20 Kentucky women’s basketball ends losing streak to No. 18 Louisville with strong OT
The 20th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats extended their season-opening win streak to four with a 71-61 overtime victory over No. 18 Louisville in this year’s Battle of the Bluegrass. The highly anticipated rematch between coaches Kenny Brooks and Jeff Walz took place in front of the first sold-out crowd of the season in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
It was a tightly contested battle from stem to stern, with Kentucky’s upperclassmen trio of Georgia Amoore, Teonni Key and Dazia Lawrence efforting to disrupt Louisville’s elevated pace of play and balanced scoring attack through four quarters and an overtime period.
The victory was Kentucky’s first in the series since 2015, ending a string of seven consecutive losses to the Cardinals. UK extended its lead in the all-time series to 35-25.
Amoore, who’s now defeated the Cardinals four times in her career at Virginia Tech and Kentucky, led the way for a Wildcats roster still working to find its footing amid all the changes of the new-look program. She led all players in scoring with 19 points. She also had one rebound, nine assists, one block, two steals and eight turnovers.
She was joined in double figures by Key, who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, one assist and five blocks, Lawrence, who added 14 points, three rebounds and three assists and Strack, who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Amelia Hassett finished with nine points, including a trio of clutch free throws in the overtime to seal the win. She also grabbed 13 rebounds and dished one assist. No other Wildcats scored in the game. Junior point guard Cassidy Rowe and freshmen Lexi Blue and Clara Silva each saw the floor for fewer than 10 minutes; this was a game won entirely by Kentucky’s starting five.
Kentucky’s iron five was led in minutes played by Amoore, who was on the floor for all 45. Strack and Hassett played 43 minutes each, Lawrence 42 and Key 38.
The Wildcats were able to limit Louisville veteran forward Olivia Cochran, who scored just two points in the loss. Merissah Russell fouled out in the overtime with seven points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Louisville’s freshmen, particularly Imari Berry, Mackenly Randolph and Tajianna Roberts, showcased plenty of talent, highlighting the Cardinals’ continued success in talent identification and recruiting. Berry contributed a team-high 14 points, including four 3-pointers. Roberts added 12 points, four rebounds and two steals.
Next game
Purdue Fort Wayne at No. 20 Kentucky
When: 6 p.m. Monday
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Purdue Fort Wayne 2-1, Kentucky 4-0
Series: Kentucky leads 1-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 79-59 on Nov. 21, 2003, in Lexington
