No. 11 Kentucky women’s basketball goes cold at Texas A&M, suffering first SEC defeat
Kenny Brooks and the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats suffered their first loss in SEC play, a 61-55 stinger to Texas A&M on Thursday night in College Station.
The Wildcats (16-2 overall, 5-1 SEC) got out to an unusually slow start, missing their first seven field goal attempts and making only four of their 18 attempts from the field. However, two personal fouls apiece assessed to A&M starters Aicha Coulibaly and Lauren Ware led, in part, to six free-throw attempts — each of which Kentucky was able to convert.
Following the underwhelming, first-quarter offense, Kentucky opened the second period on a 6-0 scoring run and increased its lead to nine points. Texas A&M, which has struggled all season with early deficits, managed to pull within a single possession before a pair of quick buckets from graduate guards Georgia Amoore and Dazia Lawrence put the Wildcats up 30-25 at the half. Amoore was the sole Wildcat to reach double-figure scoring (10 points) in the first 20 minutes. Junior forward Teonni Key, who, alongside fellow frontcourt “triplet” Amelia Hassett had two personal fouls in the first half, delivered eight points.
Notably, Kentucky did not make one of its eight 3-point attempts in the first half, and only took one shot from long range in the second quarter; the Wildcats entered the contest second in the Southeastern Conference in made 3-pointers per game (8.9), while the Aggies ranked No. 14 in the conference at 3.9.
The Wildcats’ offensive woes continued early in the third period, scoring zero points until Key made a layup at the 6:34 mark. Additionally, star center Clara Strack, who scored a team-high 25 points in UK’s previous game against Georgia, picked up her third foul just before Key broke the Wildcats’ drought. Though Strack had to sit, Kentucky stretched its lead to as many as 10 points in her absence, despite still not making any shots beyond the arc.
The Aggies (10-8, 3-3) would not quit, led by Coulibaly’s 10 third quarter points to remain within striking distance. Outside of Coulibaly, only Taliyah Parker scored for Texas A&M in the third period; Parker’s seven points pushed the Aggies ahead, outscoring UK 17-16 in the quarter.
Strack picked up her fourth personal foul within the first minute of the fourth quarter, placing further pressure on both Key and 6-foot-7 freshman center Clara Silva. And, though Key broke the seal and made the Wildcats’ first 3-pointer of the game at the 7:16 mark, the Aggies held UK scoreless for nearly two-and-a-half minutes to take a 50-49 lead with just under six minutes to play. The teams tied it at 52, but the Aggies proceeded to hold the Wildcats to zero field goals for the final 4:46, and achieved the upset. The win marked Texas A&M’s second ranked upset of conference play, following its 60-58 win over Ole Miss on Jan. 5.
Kentucky made just one of its 18 3-point attempts in the loss. Key led the Wildcats with 20 points, nine rebounds and one steal. Amoore finished with 15 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal. Lawrence added eight points, five rebounds and one assist.
The Wildcats, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped, shot 20-of-64 on the night, a dreadful 31.3 percent. For the second straight game, a UK starter went scoreless. Amelia Hassett, who averaged 10.5 points per game, finished with 0 points and five rebounds, attempting only three field goals on the night against a tenacious A&M defense. Fellow starter Dazia Lawrence, Kentucky’s third-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, was held to eight on Thursday night after going scoreless in Sunday’s win at Georgia.
Coulibaly led the Aggies in scoring with 21 points. Ware finished with 10 points.
Next game
Arkansas at No. 11 Kentucky
When: 12p.m. EST Sunday
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 16-2 (5-1 SEC), Arkansas 8-13 (1-5)
Series: Kentucky leads 27-16
Last meeting: Arkansas won 88-61 at Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 25, 2024
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 9:12 PM.
