‘Clara has an ability.’ Strack’s record night powers Kentucky’s destruction of Tennessee
Clara Strack has faced Kim Caldwell-helmed teams twice in her two collegiate seasons, and been perfect from the field in each of them — including No. 15 Kentucky’s dominant, 82-58 victory against No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night, Kentucky’s largest margin of victory ever over the Lady Vols.
In the Wildcats’ much-needed win against the Lady Vols, Strack finished with 23 points on 11-for-11 shooting, including one 3-pointer, plus 15 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. The performance marked the second time she’s made all of her field goal attempts when taking more than one shot; Strack posted 17 points on 7-of-7 shooting in Virginia Tech’s opening-round NCAA Tournament win against Caldwell’s final Marshall squad last season.
When asked how one “goes about defending,” Strack, Caldwell was complimentary of Kentucky’s sophomore center.
“Well, we still don’t have an answer,” Tennessee’s first-year head coach said. “She’s phenomenal. I mean, she was hitting tough shots, some tough shots. She just plays hard. She was able to shoot right over us. We had multiple bodies on her. I mean, it wasn’t, she didn’t have her perfect night on one player. Through three or four different people, and we didn’t have an answer.
Strack, who also eclipsed UK’s single-season individual blocks record in the victory, gave credit to her teammates when asked what about Caldwell’s system allows her to achieve such success.
“I think overall, as a team,” Strack said. “Just excelling against it because we were ready. We knew we were going to go up and down a lot. So I think just being ready and knowing that you’re going to get your opportunities. Just being able to knock it down when you get it.”
Strack was one of four Wildcats to finish in double-figure scoring. Junior forward Teonni Key, the younger sister of former Tennessee defensive stalwart Tamari Key, finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals. All-America point guard Georgia Amoore added 18 points, one rebound, seven assists and one steal. Graduate guard Dazia Lawrence contributed 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block.
Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks highlighted Strack’s uniqueness in the postgame. Strack recorded her 13th double-double of the year while also setting a program record for shooting (on a minimum 10 attempts).
“Clara has an ability,” Brooks said after Kentucky improved to 22-5 overall and 11-4 SEC play. “She sees ball, she goes, she gets ball. She’s just gonna go after it. And that’s rare because she just has a knack for finding the basketball. She knows where it’s gonna come off, she’ll stick her nose in there and she’ll go get it. And she’s one of the toughest kids that I’ve ever coached.”
Tennessee (21-7, 8-7) entered Thursday’s contest as the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 89.7 points per game. Caldwell said, “we haven’t looked like this in a while,” and Brooks complimented his team’s defensive effort. His inaugural Kentucky roster posted nine blocks in the victory, and reset the program record for most team blocks in a single season (189).
“We can shoot the basketball, but our defense is pretty good,” Brooks said. “And I think it gets overlooked because, you know, we don’t do the things that some people think that defense is made of, like trapping and pressing and doing that kind of stuff. We know what we’re supposed to do. We’re built off of guarding the paint. We have, you know, which is, I guess, the best shot-blocking team in school history.”
The victory also secured the Wildcats the fourth and final double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament, which returns to Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., from March 5-9. It also kept Kentucky’s hopes alive for a top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament; the Wildcats were considered a No. 4 seed in Thursday’s second and final top-16 preview, released via ESPN ahead of the matchup.
Kentucky will close the regular season with a road trip to No. 6 South Carolina, which is tied for first place in the league standings with No. 1 Texas. The Gamecocks and the Longhorns, provided each program wins out, will share the regular-season SEC title and flip a coin for the top overall seed in the SEC Tournament.
Per UK Athletics statistician Corey Price, Kentucky’s seven conference games with at least 80 points scored marks the most in a single season for the Wildcats. Against Tennessee, the Wildcats earned just their 16th victory in the all-time series (against 61 losses), and played with starkly different energy than displayed in Sunday’s loss to No. 7 LSU.
“We know what we’re getting into,” Brooks said. “And we know this is the best league in the country. And we know, each and every night, you’re gonna have an opportunity, regardless of what happened in the game before. The next one in front of you is an opportunity. And if you get to the point where you lose and you let that linger, and you bring that mentality with you to the next one, it’s going to hurt you again and again.”
Next game
No. 15 Kentucky at No. 6 South Carolina
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 22-5 (11-4 SEC), South Carolina 26-3 (14-1)
Series: South Carolina leads 41-35
Last meeting: South Carolina won 103-55 on Feb. 25, 2024, at Rupp Arena in Lexington
