UK Athletics Photo
Kentucky lost its first home game of the season Saturday when Georgia scored the game’s first nine points and went on to beat coach Kenny Brooks’ team 72-67.
It was the third straight loss for Kentucky — a first in the Brooks’ era — and fourth in six games since senior forward Teonni Key dislocated her elbow against Missouri Jan. 4.
The Cats lost 71-59 at Mississippi State Sunday, fell 60-58 at Tennessee on Thursday and then went down Saturday after the game was moved up 24 hours due to the winter storm.
Brooks is clearly frustrated.
He said the game at Tennessee “set women’s basketball back 15 years” because of the poor shooting and high turnovers both teams had. He even said he “wouldn’t pay to watch” the game.
“Everybody’s dealing with situations right now. This league is brutal,” Brooks said after the Tennessee loss. “She (Key) is a big part of what we do. We need her physicality and toughness. We need her five fouls and 40 minutes (of play).”
Kentucky was just 23 of 58 from the field against Georgia, got out-rebounded 40-34 and had 11 turnovers.
Point guard Tonie Morgan, who has been sensational this season, had 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and 12 assists but also had four turnovers, including one late in the game just like she did at Tennessee.
Jordan Obi was only 5-for-13 from the field and could not finish in the lane. She finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Center Clara Strack was 3-for-13 from the field and limited to 28 minutes by foul trouble. She was constantly double teamed and had little room to operate or even get free for a baseline jumper.
Brooks has used his five starters extended minutes — Morgan again played all 40 minutes against Georgia while Amelia Hassett played 38, Obi 37 and Asia Boone 35. Strack would have been in the high 30’s if not for foul trouble.
He used freshman Kaelynn Carroll, a McDonald’s All-American, only 11 minutes even though she went 2-for-4 from 3. Sophomore guard Lexi Blue had two assists in her nine minutes.
“Obviously disappointed, I really don’t know how I feel about the game,” Brooks said after the game. “It’s kind of a strange situation trying to prep for this opportunity, I don’t really know how I feel about our kids right now.
“I do appreciate their effort. They’re extremely tired. We’re one of the last teams who hasn’t had a bye yet, and obviously with Teonni’s injuries it forces a lot more minutes. Tonight we were a step slow to the basketball. We got our hands on some balls that we normally grab, and in a game like this you have to have some winning plays.
“We’ve had three straight games where we’ve gone to the fourth quarter down one possession and we just run out of gas. We’re close. It’s a long season. Sometimes you have to shift your immediate goals to try to get better, and that’s what we’re going to do. We have a long-awaited break, and we’ll use that time to practice and try to get better.”
Kentucky does not play again until next Sunday at Arkansas, a break that should give the Cats a chance to reset since there still is no timeline for Key’s return.
“It’s much needed. The players need rest, and I’m not giving up on them, nor are they giving up on each other. We’re not getting blown out by 35, we just gotta figure it out and become a whole team again,” Brooks said.
Boone and Hassett each scored 15 points against Georgia and led the comeback after UK fell behind 9-0. Boone was 5-for-10 from 3-point range and also had three rebounds. Hassett went 4-for-8 from 3 and 3-for-3 at the foul line. She also had seven rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.
