Amelia Hassett had 14 points in the win over Arkansas. (Vicky Graff Photo)
After his team lost at Texas A&M when it went 1-for-18 from 3-point range, Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks expected a “challenging” game from Arkansas.
Instead, UK scored 31 points in the first quarter, had five players score in double figures and won 89-69.
“We came out and didn’t always play great, but we had some flashes. We looked excellent, and getting back in the win column. I am very proud that we always tell them that 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent is how you deal with it,” Brooks said after the win. “We could do nothing about that Texas A&M game, but we could do a lot about what the future would hold.
“We had two excellent practices where they were loose and confident, and I think it showed today. It’s a good bounce-back game for us, very pleased with the effort. Everybody contributed in an excellent way, especially our bench. We got some good minutes for our bench as we continue to grow because we’ll need that as we go down a stretch.”
Georgia Amoore had 19 points and eight assists while Clara Strack (19 points 10 rebounds) and Teonni Key (13 points, 11 rebounds) both had double-doubles. The other two starters, Amelia Hassett and Dazia Lawrence, both had 14 points.
“I’m very proud of our kids for their resiliency and the fight. We played four games out of five on the road and the SEC and that’s tough, it’s really tough. We’ve been away for a while, but they were very professional about it,” Brooks said. “But it was exciting to be able to come back in front of our home fans. It was a good crowd tonight.
“I think we helped grow the game today. You watched the way the game was played. It was up and down, it was free flowing, it was freedom of movement and it was entertaining. And so I think we helped grow the game, but it’s really good to be back here.”
Brooks said Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors told him the old Memorial Coliseum was “probably the worst facility before and now it’s one of the best” after the recent renovations.
“I had a friend who came up to the game. He’s from Virginia and he was mesmerized by the facility and how it looked,” Brooks said. “So it’s just really good to be back home in front of your fans.”
Brooks knows losses are going to happen. Kentucky lost at North Carolina in December and now has lost at Texas A&M. Kentucky hosts Alabama in a matchup of top 20 teams Thursday night,
“This league is too tough. I don’t think anyone’s going to go undefeated. South Carolina is great, but there’s teams in here that will challenge you on every given night. So, to be able to try to go undefeated, that’s going to be a very tall feat for anyone,” Brooks said.
Brooks said there was not a lot of “yelling or finger-pointing” when the Cats watched film of the Texas A&M loss.
“It was just okay basically we just didn’t make shots. And when we dove into it, we got shots that we wanted to get, but it was just one of those nights. If you tell me that we’re going to get 18 three-point attempts, and you tell me I’m going to make one I would say you’re crazy. We are going to at least make three or four,” Brooks said.
“If you make three or four, you win that basketball game. We didn’t hang our heads. We were disappointed, but we didn’t hang our heads. They really took me to heart, and they said, you know, it happened, alright, so then we go out and fix it, so it doesn’t happen again.”
