Teonni Key, right, and her mother, Tammy Brown, were all smiles after Kentucky won at LSU Thursday. Kentucky returns to action Sunday hosting Missouri at noon.
It might not have been the biggest shot in Kentucky women’s basketball history, but it certainly was the biggest shot of the Kenny Brooks’ era and definitely one of the all-time most important shots.
Point guard Tonie Morgan patiently waited for time to run down before hitting a 3-pointer just before time expired to lift Kentucky to an 0-78 win at No. 5 LSU Thursday night.
Brooks admitted LSU was “as talented of a team” as he had seen. The unbeaten Tigers had a winning margin of 55 points and seven players averaging 11 or more points per game coming into the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
LSU certainly looked the part when it took a 14-2 lead to open the game and looked like it might win by far more than the 12.5 points it was favored to win by. Brooks called the barrage a “tsunami” in his postgame press conference but Kentucky answered with a 13-0 run sparked by two Asia Boone 3-pointers.
LSU hit three free throws to take a 78-77 lead with 18 seconds to play and Brooks made it clear in UK’s timeout that Morgan was going to take the potential game-winning shot.
“As I called the play, she asked me ‘when do you want me to go.’ She said, ‘Do you want me to go and shoot it when we have enough time for a rebound?’ I said, ‘No.’ As soon as she let it go, I was right on line with the basketball, and I knew it was going in,” Brooks said.
Morgan dribbled the ball for almost 14 seconds as LSU tried to make sure she could not get the ball inside to center Clara Strack. Morgan maneuvered to the left wing and the shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net.
Morgan finished with 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range. She also had 12 assists and a steal with no turnovers in 39 minutes of play.
Teonni Key also played 39 minutes after missing the two previous games with a leg injury. She had 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting but also grabbed 16 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Kentucky out-rebounded LSU 45-28 and 18 second chance points to four for LSU.
“Teonni has been nursing a little ailment with her lower leg. We gave her a little bit of a break,” Brooks said.
Strack had nine rebounds, including five offensive boards, along with 15 points despite being in foul trouble She played 31 minutes.
Boone came off the bench to play 35 minutes and made five 3-pointers. Jordan Obi played 31 minutes and had six points and 10 rebounds.
“I want to give Kentucky credit,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “I thought Kentucky was poised. They have a ton of seniors, and as you’ve heard many times in sports, experience matters. Fifth-year seniors matter.
“If you would have told me that we would have been outrebounded with this group I have, there’s no way I would have believed you.”
Believe it because it happened.
“We needed to be bullish on the boards and make sure we got second- and third-chance opportunities,” Brooks said. “But we also needed to limit their second- and third-chance opportunities.
“Any time you come to LSU, you know it’s going to be a very intense game. They have one of the best crowds in the country,” Brooks said.
However, even that intense crowd could not faze Morgan and her teammates.
3 Responses
Bullseye shot.
It was an incredible game. LSU kept trying to pull away and the Cats would reel them back in. I thought Key and Boone were terrific. Of course Morgan has ice water in her veins. Love watching this team. I have said since summer this team would be better than last year and a real contender. After winning in Baton Rouge, there is No doubt Brooks has a team that will have to be reckoned with. Someone was wanting him fired last year. That's hilarious. GO LADY CATS!!!
The womens basketball team deserve a little more money. They need to double what they are giving brooks and I bet the womens team starts to dominate. He's pulling in recruits left and right with half the money LSU and South Carolina give there women's teams.
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