UK women’s basketball ‘positioning ourselves to be contenders’ with 3-0 start to SEC play
Late in the second quarter of Kentucky’s 71-55 victory over Florida in Gainesville on Thursday, Kenny Brooks “was a little bit concerned we lost our juice.”
Junior playmakers Amelia Hassett and Teonni Key each picked up their second fouls and, though Kentucky (14-1, 3-0 SEC) had built a comfortable lead behind a staunch defensive effort, Brooks felt his team was “just trying to get to halftime.” Kentucky assistant coach Rad Autukaite’s scout highlighted Florida’s tendency to start slow before turning around and delivering a big second-half effort but, according to point guard Georgia Amoore, UK must do better at not only putting an end to the run, but also at identifying who’s most likely to be carrying it out.
Against the Wildcats, it was senior guard Jeriah Warren, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds and freshman guard Liv McGill, each of whom average at least 10 points per contest. Behind Warren, Reynolds and McGill, who combined for 23 second-half points and 38 of the Gators’ 55 total points, Florida (10-7, 1-2 SEC) cut what was at its largest a 24-point lead to as few as 11.
“We watched the scout and they placed emphasis on it plenty of times,” Amoore said. “That they’re a team in the second half that can cut big leads down. They did it in their previous games. And, I mean, we knew it was coming, but I think we have to definitely do a better job at, first of all, stopping it when it begins, and realize who they’re going to. ... So I think we need to do a better job at just taking things away, or being more aggressive or just being more aware, being into spots, I don’t know what it is. Playing with a little bit more intensity and just not letting that energy diminish us.”
Indeed, Florida’s failed comeback attempt put a dent in the Wildcats’ production — Kentucky scored 30 second-half points to the Gators’ 36 — but UK’s no-quit defense and clutch 3-pointers from Key and graduate guard Dazia Lawrence in the fourth kept the Gators at bay.
The Wildcats’ defensive strategy differs from many of the nation’s top teams; Kentucky relies on its length to disrupt opponents’ offensive attacks and, though Autukaite’s scout did emphasize 50/50 balls and the need for hustle, it’s unusual for Brooks’ team to seek out steals. Nevertheless, UK grabbed 13 steals, and converted Florida’s 20 turnovers into 25 points.
“Our philosophy is to guard the paint,” Brooks said. “But we did a really good job of understanding what Florida was trying to do, especially early on. We took it away, and not only did we take it away, we were able to capitalize with some steals and some points off of it. So that was definitely a bonus for us. Not sure that’s going to be our philosophy all the time, but we did a really good job with that tonight.”
Amoore led Kentucky to victory with 18 points, plus five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Lawrence added 14 points, two assists and a pair of steals. Center Clara Strack contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal.
With the win over Florida, Kentucky tied the program’s best 15-game start of 14-1, a feat also achieved in the 1979-80, 1980-81, 1982-83, 2012-13 and 2018-19 seasons, and is 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2014-15.
“It’s a physical league,” Brooks said. “And everyone’s trying to play pretty much the same way, the three opponents that we’ve had. And so it’s just something that we’ve gotten used to. But I think we’re equipped for it, because we do a tremendous job of secondary passing, when they want to trap. And then we have a four-on-three situation. We usually find the open person, so I think we’ve handled it well, but I know every game is going to present different challenges.”
Now owning victories over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Florida, Kentucky will turn its attention to Auburn, which travels to Lexington for a Sunday afternoon tip. And, while Brooks and his team are “enjoying every second,” of the impressive season so far, he (and those who came with him to UK from Virginia Tech) understands that expectations are high, given all that was achieved in Blacksburg.
“Honestly, and I’m not trying to be smug or anything,” Brooks said. “But we’ve had a lot of success in the past, and there’s an expectation. And we don’t look ahead, we don’t look behind. You know, ‘Where are we in the moment?’ And the moment is, we were playing Florida, we wanted to be the best we could be. If you take care of that, then you can go on and get ready for Auburn, and take them one at a time. So we’re very pleased with where we are, and we feel like we’re positioning ourselves to be contenders. But you can only do it one game at a time. Now, I’m sure I’ll look back on it one day and say, ‘Oh man, we were 14-1 at that point,’ and enjoy it. But a coach’s mentality, a competitor’s mentality, is, you go through it, you put it to rest and then you’re on to the next one. And we’ll enjoy anything that happens positive later on in the spring.”
Auburn lost to Arkansas on Thursday, falling to 9-7 (0-3 SEC) on the season. Leading scorer DeYona Gaston scored 16 points and pulled in nine rebounds in the loss. Forward Celia Sumbane added 12 points. Mar’shaun Bostic scored 10.
Injuries have plagued the Tigers, who have been without standout sophomore transfer Taliah Scott (wrist) since November, and also played games without contributors Taylen Collins and Syriah Daniels. Per Auburn beat writer Peter Rauterkus of AL.com, Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris announced last week that guard Kaitlyn Duhon is no longer with the program; Duhon has since been removed from the official roster online.
Brooks encouraged Big Blue Nation to come out to see Wildcats host the Tigers, provided it’s safe to do so in light of Kentucky’s winter storms.
“If you can make it safely,” Brooks said. “We would love to see you on Sunday. And I know the people at (the Joe Craft Center) and Memorial, everyone’s going to have every sidewalk cleaned off and pave the way. These kids deserve it, and we need you, because Big Blue Nation can make a good team great. And we have the makings of that.”
Sunday
Auburn at No. 15 Kentucky
When: 3 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 14-1 (3-0 SEC), Auburn 9-7 (0-3 SEC)
Series: Auburn leads 28-27
Last meeting: Auburn won 78-50 on Feb. 15, 2024, at Auburn, Ala.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 8:20 AM.
