No. 17/16 Kentucky Pulls Away from Central Michigan
Five players scored in double figures as No. 17/16 Kentucky pulled away from Central Michigan 82-55 on Sunday inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Teonni Key led the Cats with 17 points, including 13 in the second half. She also had 11 rebounds, notching her second double-double of the season.
Jordan Obi and Clara Strack each had 14 points, while Tonie Morgan had a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Asia Boone came off the bench to score 11 points and grab seven rebounds.
Kentucky (10-1) scored the first four points of the game on buckets by Obi and Morgan. After a CMU basket, Strack got loose underneath and scored, then Obi scored on a fast break layup to make it 8-2. After the Chippewas scored, UK got baskets from Obi and Teonni Key to extend the lead to 12-4.
Central Michigan scored to get within six before two Morgan free throws made it 14-6. CMU scored the next three before Obi and Strack scored again, giving UK a 18-9 lead. The Chippewas would get within six at one point, but a Lexi Blue basket just before the buzzer gave the Cats a 25-17 lead after one period.
Kentucky scored the first four points of the second quarter on baskets from Strack and Obi. CMU scored the next five before a Morgan bucket gave UK a 31-22 lead. From there, the teams would trade baskets twice, with Strack and Obi scoring for the Cats, making it 35-25.
CMU would cut the UK lead to eight before threes from Amelia Hassett and Boone gave the Cats a 41-27 lead. However, CMU scored the next six points to get within eight. Kentucky would lead 45-38 at the half.
Kentucky opened the third quarter on an 12-0 run, including eight points from Key, to lead 57-38. CMU answered with a 6-2 run before a Boone three gave UK a 62-44 advantage.
A Strack layup extended the lead to 20 points before CMU cut it to 18. A Boone putback again put the Cats up by 20 and UK would lead 66-47 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Kentucky again started quickly, this time with a 7-0 run, capped by a Boone three. After a CMU free throw, UK got baskets from Obi and Key to lead 77-48. UK would lead by as many as 30 before settling for the 27-point victory.
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday, visiting Belmont in Nashville. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on ESPN Plus.
