Kentucky-Georgia Postgame Notes

Kentucky will play No. 1-seed South Carolina tomorrow, Friday, March 6, at Noon ET in Game 9. I will send a reduced game notes / player bios package this evening to help you in your coverage of the matchup.

#17/19 KENTUCKY 76, #22/22 GEORGIA 61

Team Records and Series Notes  

• Kentucky is 23-9 and Georgia is 22-9.
• Kentucky is now 5-6 against AP Top 25 opponents this season.

• In the SEC Tournament:
  • Kentucky is 46-45 in all-time Southeastern Conference Tournament games.
  • Kentucky has won nine of the last 12 games in the SEC Tournament.
  • The Wildcats are 7-1 in the second round.
  • Head coach Kenny Brooks 2-1 in the SEC Tournament.
• Kenny Brooks is in his second season as the head coach of the Wildcats, holding a 46-17 record in Blue and White.
  • He is 563-221 in his 24th overall season as a head coach.
  • Coach Brooks has led Kentucky to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in each of his first two seasons as UK head coach.

• Kentucky trails the all-time series with Georgia, 42-26, in a series that began in 1980.
  • UK is now 3-8 all-time against Georgia in the SEC Tournament, winning two straight.
• Kentucky will play Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament against No. 1 seeded South Carolina at Noon ET on SEC Network.
  • UK is 17-17 all-time in SEC Tournament Quarterfinal games.
  • Kentucky is 3-2 all-time against South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.
  • The last matchup between the two schools in the SEC Tournament was Kentucky’s historic victory in the 2022 championship game in Nashville, Tenn.

Team Notes

• Kentucky used the starting combination Tonie Morgan, Asia Boone, Amelia Hassett, Teonni Key and Clara Strack for the sixth seventh game this season.
  • This is UK’s third starting lineup this season.
  • UK is 5-2 when using that starting combination.
  • UK lost the opening tip for the 13th time this season.
  • Clara Strack was the first player to score for Kentucky for the 13th time this season.
  • Jordan Obi was the first substitute off the bench for Kentucky for the seventh time this season.
• The Wildcats lead a majority of the first half, holding a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter before UGA outscored UK 20-15 in the second quarter to hold a 36-35 lead at halftime.
• This marked the first win of the year for Kentucky when it was trailing at halftime.
  • UK is 1-6 overall and 1-5 against SEC opponents when trailing at the half this season.
• Kentucky outscored Georgia 41-25 in the second half to secure the win and advance in the tournament.
  • UK did not trail in the second half and there was only one tie in the second half, which game at 38-38 with 7:26 to go in the third quarter.
• After the two teams traded baskets to start the fourth quarter, Georgia converted an and-one with 6:39 to go in the game to cut UK’s lead to four at 60-56. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get with Kentucky responding with an 8-0 run over the next three minute to take control of the game at 68-56 with 3:39 to go.
• This is the second time that UK has won each its first two SEC Tournament games by at least 15 points (also 2022).
• Kentucky won the rebounding margin the game 35-36 and had a 10-4 edge in second-chance points in the game.
  • This was the 12th time in 18 games against league competition that UK has won the rebounding margin.
• UK had 19 assists on 28 made baskets in the game.
• Three Wildcats scored in double figures in the game in Strack, Key and Morgan.
• Kentucky now has 214 blocks on the season after seven in the game vs. Georgia. It needs four more to break the single-season school record set last season with 218.
• UK shot 50 percent from the field in the game, going 28-for-56 overall.
  • It was the ninth time this season UK has shot 50 percent or better.
• UK hit six 3s in the game and extended its school-record for 3-pointers made in a season to 271.

Player Notes

• Clara Strack, junior center, had a career-high-tying 33 points.
  • She became the third fastest player to eclipse 1,000 points at Kentucky (through 63 games) behind Valerie Still and Rhyne Howard.
  • It marked her third straight 20+ point game and her ninth this season.
  • It marked her second 30+ point game this season.
  • She had 13 points in the first quarter and 18 points in the first half.
  • She had a career-high five s, including three in the first half.
    • She has had at least three 3s against SEC opponents three times this season.
    • She is the sixth different DI women’s player 6-5 or taller to make at least five 3s in a single game since at least 2002-03.
  • She also went a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
  • She added three blocks to extend her single-season school record to 80.
  • Her 33 points were the second-most ever by a Wildcats in the SEC Tournament, behind Valerie Still’s 34 points against vs. LSU in Feb. 1982.
• Amelia Hassett, senior forward, had seven points with four rebounds, four assists and hit one 3-pointer.
  • She leads Asia Boone by one for the single-season school record in 3s (87).
  • She has made multiple 3s in 25-of-32 games this season.
  • Her four assists tied a season high and marked the eighth time this season she has had three or more assists and the 36th time of her career.
• Tonie Morgan, senior guard, had 14 points and seven assists.
  • She has had at least seven assists 22 times this season.
  • This was the 31st time this season she has led UK in assists.
  • This was the 25th time this season she has scored 10 or more points and the 97th time in her career.
  • She is the third SEC player since 2002-03 – and the first since 2018 – to have at least 14 points and seven assists in consecutive SEC Tournament games.
• Jordan Obi, senior guard, had six points with six rebounds, going 3-of-3 from the field.
• Teonni Key, senior forward, had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, adding an assist and a block.
  • Key made her first 10 shots of the SEC tournament, going 5-of-5 in the first round and starting 5-of-5 through the first media timeout of the third quarter.
    • She ended the game 6-for-10.
  • This was her sixth double-double of the season and the 20th of her career.
  • She has scored 10 or more points in 15 games this season, including 41 career games.
  • This was the seventh time she has posted 10 or more rebounds this season and the 20th time in her career.
  • She has led Kentucky in rebounding six times this season and 19 times in her UK career.