‘It was floodgates.’ How Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore tied school record in win over Sooners
Roughly six hours before the opening tip of No. 12 Kentucky’s 95-86 victory over No. 13 Oklahoma on Sunday — Kenny Brooks and Georgia Amoore joked together at shootaround while the All-America point guard was putting up shots.
“Coach Brooks looked at me,” Amoore recalled. “And was like, ‘It looks wet.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, you know what? It doesn’t feel too bad.”
Laughing with her coaches and teammates, smiling through drills and run-throughs at the Lloyd Noble Center, Amoore not only appeared to be in great spirits on Sunday morning ahead of the team’s second consecutive ranked matchup — her shot looked to be in peak form. Amoore, who grew up on a horse farm in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, has spoken about how she learned the importance of work ethic at a young age. Doing the hard things to get the best results. Trusting your intuition, and having the confidence to go off feel and vibe.
Taking care of business and leading the way, particularly in the face of difficult situations.
That was certainly how one could describe the scene presented to Amoore and the Wildcats (19-2, 8-1 SEC) on Sunday afternoon. Kentucky faced a skilled Sooners team — on its home court and in front of 6,008 fans — led by a pair of All-America selections in Raegan Beers and Skylar Vann, raring to get back on track after a technical-filled, 107-100 road loss to LSU on Thursday night.
And one could most definitely describe Amoore’s performance — a career-best, program-record-tying 43 points, eight assists and one rebound in 39 minutes on the floor — as taking care of business.
“I think the way that I knew they were gonna ice ball screens,” Amoore said. “Immediately set the tempo by punishing it, and, from then on, it was floodgates. I think, you know, someone like Dazia (Lawrence) has grown so much. She’s been able to drive and kick out, and I think I benefited off that tonight. And just the way that we were spread on offense, the way that we moved it, I mean, it all helps. Everything is a puzzle piece.”
Amoore’s 43 points were scored on 15-of-22 shooting from the field, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line; this marked her 11th time scoring at least 20 points in a single game for the Wildcats, including the fifth conference game. She has also dished at least eight assists in 14 games this season.
“Georgia was terrific in everything that she did today,” Brooks said. “Not only in points, but she just really controlled the tempo, got the basketball where we needed it, controlled the team when we were in foul trouble in the first half.”
According to UK Athletics, Amoore’s 43-point clinic matched that of Rhyne Howard’s Jan. 9, 2020, performance at Alabama and Jennifer O’Neill’s Dec. 6, 2013, showing against Baylor, and marked the fifth time this season a Division I player has dropped 43 points in a single game.
Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk called Amoore “world-class,” and “an elite point guard in our game that’s going to continue to play well.” Amoore’s 43 points against the Sooners may have been a career high, Baranczyk said, but her overall performance Sunday was nothing out of the ordinary for the veteran point guard.
“She averages eight assists,” Baranczyk said. “So this isn’t like, ‘Oh, this is just a really special night for her.’ I know she shot the ball well, but she’s been there, she’s done that. She’s got great experience, and she elevates the level of the play of the people around her. I think that’s the highest compliment that you can give anybody, when you can make everybody else around you better. That’s what she does. And so she makes you get into a rotation, and the second you mess up, she finds the open person.”
Amoore scored 10 points in the first quarter, contributing a third of the Wildcats’ dominant 30 first-period points. In doing so, Kentucky established a lead it would never lose, and the graduate point guard added 10 in the second quarter, five in the third and an impressive 18 in the final 10 minutes to ensure UK’s second consecutive ranked win.
Lawrence finished with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting including 3-of-7 from long range, two rebounds, four assists and two steals. Clara Strack added 19 points, six rebounds, one assist, one block and five steals. Clara Silva recorded eight points and two blocks. Strack, Silva and Teonni Key each fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“When you have Georgia, who I think is the best guard in the country,” Brooks said. “She brings everything together. And her coming over from Virginia Tech, she left her comfort zone. And this is gonna bode well for her, you know, next year she goes into professional ranks. She’s taken on a leadership role and led this group like no other player I’ve ever had. And so that, in itself, just gives everyone confidence.”
Five separate Sooners finished in double-figure scoring in Sunday’s loss. Sahara Williams led the way with 27 points. Beers added 18 points and 10 rebounds; Payton Verhulst also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Vann also added 11 points, and Zya Vann finished with 15.
The Wildcats won’t play again until Monday, Feb. 10, when they travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to face Ole Miss (15-6, 6-3). The Rebels defeated No. 23 Vanderbilt 76-61 in Nashville on Sunday. Starr Jacobs posted a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Madison Scott added 15 points in the victory.
UK’s single-game scoring leaders
43 — Georgia Amoore (Feb. 2, 2025, at Oklahoma)
43 — Rhyne Howard (Jan. 9, 2020, at Alabama)
43 — Jennifer O’Neill (Dec. 6, 2013, vs. Baylor at Arlington, Texas)
42 — Makayla Epps (Feb. 12, 2015, vs. Mississippi State)
42 — Valerie Still (Dec. 19, 1982, vs. Charleston)
41 — Valerie Still (Feb. 20, 1982, vs. Florida)
40 — Bebe Croley (Dec. 20, 1987, vs. Morehead State)
39 — Valerie Still (Dec. 6, 1980, vs. Indiana0)
38 — Valerie Still (Dec. 15, 1979, vs. Indiana)
38 — Valerie Still (Dec. 2, 1982, vs. Ohio State)
38 — Valerie Still (Feb. 16, 1983, at Rutgers
Next game
No. 12 Kentucky at Ole Miss
When: 7 p.m. EST on Feb. 10
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 19-2 (8-1 SEC), Ole Miss 15-6 (6-3)
Series: Ole Miss leads 28-19
Last meeting: Ole Miss won 75-45 on Feb. 29, 2024 at Rupp Arena in Lexington
This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 11:22 PM.
