Kenny Brooks and his team celebrated after his first win at UK. (UK Athletics Photo)
The Kenny Brooks era of Kentucky women’s basketball started almost exactly like the new coach said it would.
Kentucky ran, hit 3-pointers, used its dominant size on both ends of the court and relied on All-American point guard Georgia Amore to set the tone immediately.
Kentucky beat USC Upstate 98-43 at Memorial Coliseum in a game that was never really close as UK just overwhelmed USC Upstate from the start with a balanced attack.
— Sophomore Clara Strack, a Virginia Tech transfer, had 20 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
— Freshman Clara Silva went 6-for-6 from the field and had 14 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and two assists.
— Amelia Hassett, a knockdown 3-point shooter, went 4-for-7 from 3 and had 14 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one block.
— Teonni Key, a North Carolina transfer, had 14 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal. She was 6-for-11 from the field.
— Amoore had 11 points — all in the first half — despite going only 1-for-6 from 3 but also had 10 assists, six rebounds and one steal.
“We all have value. And I think in practice, we all prove that we can score,” said Amoore. “I think, with all respect to USC Upstate, games like this, it’s time to introduce people and get people comfortable and share the love like this.
“Times like this, as I mentioned before, like we build chemistry, take these shots and see where we can go, because later on down the line is whose game is it going to be? You know, going to have someone that has to step up.
“If they haven’t prepared in these games, then maybe they’re not as ready as we need them to be. So, I think this was perfect, just getting the ball to everyone and sharing the love.”
Brooks was happy to get the win because there were “so many new adventures” for his team.
“I didn’t know where to go for pregame, how to get to the locker room before the game, and just walking out. So everything’s new,” Brooks said. “So with the excitement of all that, you know, the butterflies and everything, and I know they felt the same way, just really wanting to get going,
“I thought they did handle themselves very well. We obviously have a lot to work on to get to where we want to be and we want to continue to climb. But I thought they did a really good job of playing hard. We had some moments where we had some miscommunications and things of that nature, but I don’t think it was for lack of effort.”
Brooks felt USC Upstate’s methodical offense was good for UK’s defense to play against.
“They want to slow the tempo down, but I thought we were extremely efficient with that offense, and got good looks, took advantage of our opportunities, and so it’s a good start,” Brooks said.
It was no surprise that he felt Amoore directed the offense the way he wanted.
“I was so proud of her. I thought she did a really good job of facilitating, getting people to where she they needed to be, taking care of everyone, and as she steps into her role,” Brooks said.
Kentucky plays in Memorial Coliseum again Thursday night when it hosts Northern Kentucky at 6 p.m.
UK-USC Upstate WBB
Photos by Vicky Graff
