No. 16 Kentucky Tops Auburn on Thursday
Amelia Hassett scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds as No. 16 Kentucky held off Auburn 63-56 on Thursday night at Neville Arena.
Kentucky (21-8, 8-7 Southeastern Conference) got 12 points from Clara Strack and 11 apiece from Teonni Key and Tonie Morgan.
The Cats made 24 of 52 (46.2 percent) from the floor, including 7 of 19 (36.8 percent) from behind the arc. The Tigers hit 22 of 57 (38.6 percent) from the field, but just 2 of 11 (18.2 percent) from three-point range.
Auburn (14-15, 3-12) scored the first two points of the game, but Hassett hit back-to-back threes to give UK a 6-2 lead. Layups from Morgan and Key closed a 10-0 run that stretched the lead to eight. After an Auburn free throw, Strack scored underneath, then made two free throws to extend the lead to 14-3.
The Tigers scored four in a row before Strack connected on the baseline to build the lead to 16-7. Auburn scored four in a row before a Key free throw and a Morgan layup gave the Cats a 19-11 advantage, which would be the score after one quarter.
Kentucky started the second-quarter scoring with baskets from Key and Morgan to lead by 12. Auburn scored the next five before Kaelyn Carroll hit back-to-back threes to extend the lead to 29-16. The Tigers scored five in a row to get within eight before a Jordan Obi bucket made it 31-21. The teams would trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter and Kentucky led 35-27 at the half.
In the third quarter, Auburn scored first before a Key layup. After the Tigers scored again, Strack, Morgan and Strack scored at the rim to build the lead to 43-31. Auburn scored four in a row before a Hassett three and a Morgan free throw made it 47-35 Cats.
The Tigers scored to get within 10 but Key drove to the basket for a layup that gave Kentucky a 49-37 lead. Auburn hit a free throw but a Hassett three gave UK a 52-38 lead after three quarters.
Obi hit two free throws to get the fourth-quarter scoring started. Hassett hit her fifth three of the game to extend the lead to 57-38 before Auburn scored its first points of the period. Two Key free throws stretched the lead to 19 again before Auburn went on a 10-2 run to get within 11.
A Strack basket ended the streak, but Auburn closed the game on a 6-0 run to provide the final margin of victory.
Kentucky closes the regular season on Sunday, hosting third-ranked South Carolina inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
