No. 14 Kentucky Holds Off Missouri on Thursday
Clara Strack had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the 14th-ranked Kentucky women’s basketball team held off Missouri 73-65 on Thursday night in Columbia.
Georgia Amoore had 19 points and five assists for the Cats, while Teonni Key had 13 points and five rebounds. Dazia Lawrence added 12 points for UK.
Perhaps the most telling statistic of the game was that Missouri had 12 turnovers and Kentucky had 10. The Cats turned the Tigers’ miscues into 22 points, while Missouri scored just five points off Kentucky’s turnovers.
Kentucky (21-4, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) scored first on a jumper from Strack. After Missouri tied the game, Key made it 4-2 Cats. Missouri scored the next six points before Key hit a three to cut the deficit to one, 8-7. A Lawrence bucket gave UK the lead, 9-8.
The Tigers scored the next four points before Strack got loose underneath for a layup and subsequent free throw to tie the game at 12-12. However, the Tigers would again score the next four, taking a 16-12 advantage. Amoore would answer with two free throws and a basket to tie the game again, this time at 16-16. And when Key made a layup, it closed a 6-0 run that gave UK an 18-16 lead. The teams would be tied at 18 apiece after one quarter.
Missouri (13-15, 2-11) scored the first two points of the second period before a free throw and a basket by Strack gave UK a 21-20 lead. After the Tigers took the lead back, Strack scored again and the Cats led 23-22. A Saniah Tyler layup stretched the lead to 25-22, but back-to-back threes from Missouri gave the Tigers a 28-25 lead.
An Amelia Hassett bucket got the Cats within one, but Missouri hit another three to extend the lead to 31-27. Lawrence scored to cut the deficit to two and Strack scored underneath to tie the game at 31-31. However, a Missouri three-point play made it 34-31, which would be the halftime score.
Kentucky scored the first two points of the third quarter on free throws from Key, getting within a point. Then, Strack scored again and the Cats led 35-34. However, the Tigers took the lead right back on the next possession with a three before a Key layup tied the game at 37-37. A Lawrence bucket gave the Cats a two-point lead but Missouri tied it at 39-39 on the next possession.
An Amoore three gave Kentucky a 42-39 advantage, but Missouri had the answer, tying the game with a three of their own. The Cats would answer with two Key free throws, an Amoore bucket and a Tyler three to lead 49-42. A Strack basket closed out a 9-0 run that gave the Cats a 51-42 advantage. Kentucky would lead 54-47 after three quarters.
Amoore hit a three early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 57-47. After the Tigers scored four in a row, Amoore found Strack for an easy layup, making it 59-51 Kentucky. The teams would trade baskets twice, with UK getting two buckets from Lawrence, and the Cats led 63-55. Missouri would get a three-point play and another basket to make it 63-60 with 4:14 to play.
Strack scored underneath again to give UK a 65-60 lead but Missouri hit another three to get within two. Amoore scored to give UK a 67-63 advantage but the Tigers answered with a bucket that cut it to two. UK went to Strack again, and the sophomore delivered with another bucket that gave the Cats a 69-65 lead with 1:21 left.
Amoore hit a pair of free throws with 29.5 seconds left, giving UK a 71-65 lead. Lawrence hit two free throws with 16 seconds left to provide the final margin of victory.
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday, hosting No. 7 LSU. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN.
