Clara Strack, right, and her teammates pulled away in the second half to beat Arkansas Sunday. (UK Athletics Photo)
Clara Strack scored a career-high 33 points as No. 18 Kentucky cruised past Arkansas 93-73 on Sunday at Bud Walton Arena. Strack added 15 rebounds, one shy of her career high, as she notched her 11th double-double of the season. She also had two steals to help UK end a three-game Southeastern Conference losing streak
With her 33 points, Strack reached 1,000 career points through 86 collegiate games. It was Strack’s first 30-point game this season and she became the first player in program history to have at least 33 points and 15 rebounds against an SEC opponent. She also made a 3-pointer and now has at least one 3 in 11 of UK’s 23 games.
Strack had plenty of support from her teammates. Amelia Hassett scored 16 points and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range in the second half. Teonni Key, in her first game since being injured against Missouri, had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists, one steal and one blocked shot.. Tonie Morgan had 14 points and eight assists, while Asia Boone added 11 points for the Cats and hit three 3’s — she has multiple 3’s in 17 of UK’s 23 games.
UK led by just six at halftime, but the Cats outscored the Razorbacks 59-45 in the second half to pull away for the comfortable victory.
Kentucky jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on a Strack jumper and a Morgan three-point play. However, Arkansas hit consecutive threes to grab the lead. Hassett hit a three to give UK an 8-6 lead, but the Razorbacks scored five in a row to lead 11-8.
The Cats scored the next seven points on a three from Boone and baskets from Strack and Key. Arkansas tied the game at 15-15 by scoring the next four points. A Key layup gave UK a two-point lead, but Arkansas scored just before the buzzer and the game was tied at 17-17 after 10 minutes of play.
Strack started the second quarter with a layup, and Key followed with one of her own to give the Cats a four-point lead. Arkansas got a three-point play before Strack scored again to make it 23-20. The teams would trade baskets, with Strack scoring again for UK.
After two Arkansas free throws, Strack scored on two layups and Kentucky led 29-24. Key and Hassett each made two free throws to close the 8-0 run that gave the Cats a 33-24 lead. UK would lead 34-28 at the half, with Strack leading the way with 15 points and nine rebounds.
In the third quarter, Arkansas started with a 5-2 run to get within three. A Jordan Obi layup made it 38-33, but the Razorbacks hit a three to get within two. A Morgan layup made it 40-36, but Arkansas scored the next five to lead 41-40.
Kentucky responded with a 14-5 run, including eight made free throws, to lead 55-46. After two Arkansas free throws, UK got a Boone three and a Strack layup to lead by 12. Kentucky led 60-49 after three quarters.
The Cats put the game away early in the fourth quarter. Hassett hit a three to extend the lead to 14. After Arkansas scored, Strack converted a three-point play to give UK a 66-51 lead. Arkansas would score, but Hassett hit another three to start a 13-0 run that gave the Cats a 79-53 lead.
Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, hosting Vanderbilt inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
3 Responses
There’s no one who is more happy about Key’s return than Clara Strack. Having Key out there makes it impossible for teams to double team Strack and allows her to operate more easily.
We will need to get a couple of quality 4s in the transfer portal. I think we will also need a great point guard. We look great with Key and Strack. I think we can beat anyone with them two in the lineup.
Welcome back TK. I was a little worried start of 3rd when they fell behind by a pt or so. Need to get that bench developed for future. Thk that Carroll girl a 5* out of HS but apparently hasn't caught fire yet.
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