Kentucky Drops Heartbreaker to Kansas State in NCAA Second Round
In a classic NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game, fourth-seeded Kentucky fell to fifth-seeded Kansas State 80-79 in overtime on Sunday at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The game featured nine ties and a whopping 21 lead changes. K-State took the lead with 56 seconds to go and UK had four shots inside the final 30 seconds with a chance to win, but Kentucky was unable to convert.
Clara Strack had 22 points and eight rebounds for UK, while Georgia Amoore had 18 points and six assists. Dazia Lawrence had 15 points, while Teonni Key had 13 points ana a career-high 15 rebounds in the game for UK.
Kentucky got on the board first when Strack hit a three from the right side. Another Strack bucket, followed by a Lawrence jumper, gave UK an early 7-0 lead. KSU would score seven in a row to tie the game before Strack struck again, scoring four in a row to give UK an 11-7 advantage.
After a KSU bucket, Amoore hit a three to stretch the Kentucky lead to 14-9. After a K-State three, Amelia Hassett hit a corner three for UK, making it 17-12. After another KSU three, Hassett connected from distance again to give UK a 20-15 lead. That would be the score after one quarter.
In the second quarter, KSU scored first to get within three, but UK got consecutive baskets from Strack to lead 24-17. After a K-State basket, Amoore scored to make it 26-19.
Later in the second period, UK would lead 29-23 before Kansas State went on a 10-0 run to take a 33-29 lead. A Lawrence bucket at the buzzer would cut the lead in half, but K-State led 33-31 at the half.
K-State scored the first two points of the second half, but UK got a three from Key and a Lawrence basket to lead 36-35. After KSU took the lead back, Kentucky got a three-point play from Strack to lead 39-37. K-State would tie the game before Strack scored again, giving UK a 41-39 lead.
KSU got a three-point play to take the lead back before a Lawrence three gave UK a 44-42 advantage. K-State answered with a three, then later a free throw, to lead 46-44 before Lawrence tied the game again, this time at 46 apiece. After KSU took a 48-46 lead, Kentucky scored on baskets from Amoore and Key to lead 50-48. However, KSU answered with a three to take the lead back, 51-50. UK got a Clara Silva basket but K-State answered with a three to lead 54-52. K-State would lead 54-53 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Amoore hit a three to give UK a 56-54 lead, but KSU immediately answered with a three to lead 57-56. A Lawrence layup gave UK a 58-57 lead, but KSU answered with consecutive baskets to lead 61-58 with 4:28 remaining.
Key would score on baskets from Key and Lawrence to lead 62-61. UK then got putbacks from Key and Hassett to lead 66-61 with 2:11 to play.
K-State would not go away, hitting threes on consecutive possessions to lead 67-66 with 38 seconds left. Amoore then drilled a three from the top of the key to give Kentucky a 69-67 lead, but K-State tied the game at 69-69 with eight seconds remaining. UK had a final possession to try to win, but could not convert.
Key scored the first points of overtime on a putback, but K-State answered to tie the game at 71 apiece. After Strack gave UK the lead, KSU hit a three to lead 74-73. Kentucky got buckets from Amoore and Key to lead 77-74 before another KSU three tied the game again.
Amoore scored to give UK a 79-77 lead with 1:11 left in overtime. However, KSU hit a three with 56 seconds left that proved to be the final points of the game.
