Strack Leads No. 11 Kentucky Past Hofstra
Clara Strack scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 11 Kentucky downed Hofstra 80-42 on Sunday inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Strack added a season-high seven blocked shots, two assists and two steals.
Kentucky (13-1) got 18 points from Amelia Hassett, who made 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Asia Boone had 11 points and a career-high eight assists. Tonie Morgan scored nine points and had 10 assists for the Cats, who assisted on 27 of 31 made field goals in the game.
Hassett got the scoring started with a three for the Cats, but Hofstra responded with a basket. After a Strack basket, Hofstra scored again to get within one. A Morgan layup made it 7-4, but the Pride scored again to get within one. Strack converted a three-point play to give UK a 10-6 lead.
A Jordan Obi basket extended the lead to six, but Hofstra scored the next three to get within three. Threes from Boone and Kaelyn Carroll extended the lead to 18-9. After a Hofstra basket, Boone hit another three to make the lead 10. Kentucky would lead 26-15 after one period.
Strack scored the first four points of the second quarter to give UK a 30-15 lead. After a Hofstra bucket, Strack scored again, Lexi Blue hit a three and Morgan made a free throw to extend the lead to 36-17. Strack then converted another three-point play to give the Cats a 22-point lead. UK would lead 42-21 at the half. Strack led all scorers with 14 points in the first 20 minutes.
Hassett hit a three to start the scoring in the third quarter. After two Hofstra free throws, Obi scored consecutive baskets and UK led 49-23. The Pride hit two more free throws before Hassett connected on another three to extend the lead to 27. After a Hofstra basket, Hassett scored underneath and UK led 54-27.
Strack scored on a fadeaway to stretch the lead to 29 before Carroll, Hassett and Boone hit consecutive threes to make it 65-27. Strack then scored two more buckets to close a 17-0 run that gave Kentucky a 69-27 lead. The Cats led 71-30 after three quarters.
In the final stanza, Kentucky would lead by as many as 42 points before settling for the 38-point victory.
Kentucky returns to action on New Year’s Day, visiting LSU to open Southeastern Conference play. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
