No. 15 Kentucky Falls at No. 6 South Carolina
Clara Strack scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but the 15th-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team lost to sixth-ranked South Carolina 78-66 on Sunday in Columbia.
Kentucky (22-6, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) got 16 points from Georgia Amoore, 12 from Teonni Key and 10 from Dazia Lawrence
South Carolina (27-3, 15-1) scored the first two points of the game, but UK tied it on a Strack bucket. The Gamecocks scored, but Amoore tied the game at 4-4. South Carolina would score the next six before a Key three cut the deficit to 10-7.
A Key layup got the Cats within one, 10-9. South Carolina scored again, but Key answered, cutting the deficit to 12-11. However, the Gamecocks would close the quarter on a 9-3 run and South Carolina led 21-14 after one period.
South Carolina scored the first two points of the second period before UK got baskets from Amoore and Strack to make it 23-18. South Carolina scored the next six before an Amelia Hassett layup cut the deficit to 29-20.
The teams would trade baskets twice before a Saniah Tyler three made it 35-27. Despite six straight UK points from Amoore, the Cats could get no closer than eight and the Gamecocks led 41-33 at the half. Amoore led all scorers with 10 in the first half.
Kentucky scored the first three points of the second half on an Amoore bucket and a Key free throw, getting the Cats within five, 41-36. South Carolina scored the next five before two Strack free throws made the score 46-38. A Lawrence three got the Cats within five, 46-41.
South Carolina would extend the lead to 54-45, but the Cats had a run at the end of the period, getting within three on a Strack three-pointer. However, South Carolina scored at the buzzer and the Gamecocks led 58-53 after three quarters.
Kentucky started off strong in the fourth quarter, with Strack converting a three-point play to get the Cats within two, 58-56. After a South Carolina three, Key scored underneath and Strack made two free throws to get UK within one, 61-60. The Gamecocks would score on their next trip, but Amoore answered and it was 63-62.
The Gamecocks scored to lead by three before another Strack bucket got the Cats within one again, 65-64. However, South Carolina scored the next 10 points to essentially put the game away.
Kentucky returns to action in this week’s SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. Kentucky’s seeding at potential opponent are to be determined at the time of this release.
