No. 16 Kentucky Holds Off Belmont on Friday
Georgia Amoore scored 23 points, including 20 in the second half, as No. 16 Kentucky held off Belmont 84-78 on Friday night inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Amoore was in foul trouble in the first half and scored just three points. However, she got hot in the second half and finished 8 of 17 from the floor, including 7 of 13 from beyond the arc, on her way to the 23-point game. She added five assists and three rebounds.
Kentucky (10-1) had five players in double figures in the game. In addition to Amoore, UK got 16 points and 11 rebounds from Amelia Hassett. Guard Dazia Lawrence added 15 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Clara Strack and Teonni Key each had 12 points.
Both teams were cold from the floor early in the game, with Belmont missing its first five shots, while Kentucky missed its first three attempts. After Belmont took a 3-0 lead, Hassett hit a corner three to tie the game at 3-3. The teams would also be tied at 5-5 before Belmont scored seven in a row to lead 12-5. UK got a pair of Strack free throws to end the Bruins’ scoring run.
A Hassett three made it 12-10, but Belmont got a Kendall Holmes three to make it 15-10. A Teonni Key layup cut the deficit to three, 15-12. The Bruins would lead 18-12 before UK went on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 20-20. However, Belmont got the final points of the period and led 22-20 after 10 minutes of play.
In the second quarter, Belmont scored first to make it 24-20. However, Kentucky got consecutive baskets from freshman Clara Silva, followed by a Lawrence bucket and an Amoore three, completing a 9-2 run that gave UK a 29-26 lead. Belmont responded with eight points in a row, grabbing a 34-29 lead in the process.
A Strack layup got the Cats within three, 34-31, but Belmont scored five of the final seven points in the half and the Bruins took a 39-33 lead into the half.
Kentucky got things going early in the third quarter. A Lawrence basket, followed by an Amoore three made it 39-38 Belmont. After the Bruins got a basket, Amoore hit another three, then a driving layup to give the Cats a 43-41 lead, forcing a Belmont timeout.
The Bruins responded out of the break by scoring the next five points to lead 46-43. A Strack jumper from the left side and a Hassett layup gave UK a 47-46 lead. However, Belmont scored the next four to take a 50-47 lead.
That’s when Amoore’s big third quarter really took off. She hit consecutive threes to give her Cats a 53-50 lead. A pair of Belmont free throws made it a one-point game, 53-52 before Key made consecutive layups for the Cats to extend the lead to 57-52. UK led 57-54 after three quarters.
Kentucky extended the lead early in the fourth quarter. Hassett hit a jump shot and Lawrence made a layup to give UK a 61-54 advantage. However, Belmont scored five of the next six points to get within three, 62-59, with 7:10 to play.
The Cats got a three from Hassett to start an 11-2 run that gave Kentucky a 73-61 lead with 4:59 to play. However, Belmont would not go away. The Bruins went on a 15-6 run to make it 79-76 with 53 seconds left. On the ensuing UK possession, Hassett made her fourth triple of the game to give the Cats an 82-76 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Belmont would get within four, 82-78, with eight seconds left but would get no closer.
Kentucky returns to action on Dec. 28, when they host Western Kentucky inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
