Kentucky-USC Upstate Postgame Notes

UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME MATERIALS
#22 KENTUCKY VS. USC UPSTATE
MONDAY, NOV. 4, 2024
HISTORIC MEMORIAL COLISEUM – LEXINGTON, KY.
 

#22 KENTUCKY 98, USC UPSTATE 43 – FINAL

Team Records and Series Notes 

• Kentucky is 1-0 to begin the season, while USC Upstate fell to 0-1.
• The University of Kentucky women’s basketball program is in its 51st season of varsity status.
  • UK has a 907-608 (.599) all-time record.
  • UK has a 489-172 (.739) all-time record in Historic Memorial Coliseum
• Kenny Brooks is in his first season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 1-0 record in Blue and White.
  • He improved to 518-204 (.718) in his 23rd overall season as a head coach.
• Kentucky remains the leader in the all-time meetings with USC Upstate, 5-0.
• UK is 43-8 all-time in season openers, and it has won 16 in a row.
  • UK is 47-4 all-time in home openers, and it has won 16 in a row.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Georgia Amoore, Dazia Lawrence, Amelia Hassett, Teonni Key and Clara Strack for the season opener.
  • UK is 1-0 when using that starting combination.
• The Wildcats won the opening tip.
• Clara Strack was the first player to score for Kentucky.
• Clara Silva was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky.
• UK began the season shooting 52.2 percent from the field (35-of-67), 29.6 percent from the arc (8-of-27) and 80.0 percent from the line (20-of-25).
• Tonight marked Kentucky’s second largest margin of victory ever in a season opener (55 points).
  • The program record is 77 points, when Kentucky defeated Kentucky State on Nov. 24, 1989.
• The last time Kentucky scored at least 90 points was when it scored 95 points against Ohio on Dec. 21, 2022.
• The Wildcats had 12 blocks in the game.
  • The last time the Cats had 10-or-more blocks was against West Virginia in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Dec. 1, 2021 (10).
• Kentucky recorded 26 assists in the game.
  • The last time UK had 20-or-more assists in a game was against Furman on Dec. 17, 2023.
• UK began the season turning the ball over just nine times. UK has turned the ball over fewer than 10 times for the last two straight games, a stretch dating back to the last game of last season.
  • Moreover, UK outscored USC Upstate, 34-0, off turnovers.
• Ten of the eleven players that took the court tonight scored from the field, while five players scored in double digits.
  • The last time five players scored in double digits was at Alabama on Jan. 28, 2024.

Player Notes

• Clara Strack, sophomore center, led the team with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field and a career-high, 8-of-9 from the line.
  • Strack added a career-high two steals, a career-high tying two assists, two blocks and six rebounds.
• Georgia Amoore, graduate guard, had the 13th double-double of her career on 11 points and 10 assists. All 13 of the double-doubles in her career are on points and assists. Jada Walker was the last UK player to have a double-double on points (21 points) and assists (10 assists) against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 13, 2022.
  • Amoore added six rebounds and one steal.
• Clara Silva, freshman center, was one block away from tying the single-game individual blocks record, concluding the game with six in her college debut.
  • Silva added 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.
  • Silva added seven rebounds, five of which were offensive, and two assists.
• Teonni Key, junior forward, had a career-high 14 points on 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from the line. She also had a career-high five assists, and she tied her career high with three blocks.
  • Key added nine rebounds, one shy of her career high, and one steal.
• Amelia Hassett, junior guard, also had 14 points and nine rebounds. Of her five buckets, four were 3-pointers, which is one short of her career high.
  • Hassett added two assists, two steals and one block.
• All three freshmen scored their first buckets, including Clara Silva(14 points), Tanah Becker (five points) and Lexi Blue (four points).
  • Becker went 2-of-2, including a field goal and a 3-pointer.