Asia Boone Playing a Big Role For Cats

Mississippi coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin watched Kentucky junior center Clara Strack take over late in the fourth quarter when she scored eight straight points in Kentucky’s 74-57 win Sunday.

Strack finished with 28 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Tonie Morgan added 14 points and nine assists.

However, what upset McPhee-McCuin the most was that guard Asia Boone and forward Amelia Hassett combined for seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points — 15 by Boone who was 4-for-8 from 3 and Hassett who was 3-for-6 from long range.

“Boone and Hassett had 21 points because we did not guard the 3. We don’t give that up,” the Ole Miss coach said. “We usually take that way. We can handle 28 points by Strack and 14 by Morgan. But we didn’t want Hassett to get nine and didn’t want Boone to go 4-for-8 from 3. Their (Kentucky’s) supporting cast showed up in a big way.”

Kentucky’s win helped the Wildcats move up to 16th in the national rankings this week.

Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks didn’t disagree about Hassett and Boone being the difference makers.

“Both of them do a tremendous job of stretching the floor. We become a lot different. Shout out to everyone with their adjustments and the starting lineups that we made. If you ask Asia Boone, she would prefer coming off the bench,” Brooks said. “We inserted her back into the starting lineup and it’s given us two games where we have gotten off to really good starts.

“Amelia stretches the floor and I’ll give kudos to Jordan Obi with her positive energy when she comes in off the bench. Everybody is very receptive to it, but when those two (Boone and Hassett) are making shots, we’re a pretty tough team to guard because it opens up things for her, and it opens up the lane for Tonie. They’re a big difference in how we play.”

Morgan has seen Boone, a Liberty transfer, get more confident every game.

“I mean she is smaller, but you can’t tell because she just shoots her shot. She’s just been so happy lately, but I’m going to keep feeding her,” Morgan said. “We’re going to keep finding her, and she’s going to keep knocking them down.”

Boone also is a willing defender. The 5-foot-8 Boone might be the team’s most courageous player because she does not hesitate to step in front of an opponent no matter how big she is if she has a chance to take the charge.

I asked Brooks after Sunday’s win if his team practices taking charges considering his team’s lack of depth and if he cringes every time she takes a hit drawing a charge.

“I cringe for all of them on any type of collision,” the UK coach said.

He joked he had to teach Morgan to get up when she hit the floor to keep him from having a “mini heart attack” worrying she is hurt.

“It goes back to mental toughness. We do not do any charge drills. You either have it or you don’t. She (Boone) does,” Brooks said.

The Kentucky coach does not allow his players to dive on the floor for loose balls during practice, either.

“They get close to the ball and they can say dive and I will reward them with the ball,” Brooks said.

Boone is averaging 10.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 29.3 minutes per game. She’s shooting 36.8 percent from 3 and has a team-high 77 3-pointers.

“Asia came from a mid-major averaging 10 points per game. She came to Kentucky and she is playing more minutes and averaging more points and shots. That is the transfer’s dream,” Brooks said. “You don’t anticipate that. She just went out and took it. She has the green light (to shoot).

“Her defense is underrated. I did not know she could play like that. She also allows Tonie to stay off the ball and that helps us.”

Kentucky plays again Sunday at Vanderbilt.