@CoachRyanKY
(LEXINGTON)-Most college students have been there—worn down after a long weekend, either from cramming for exams or a little too much weekend libation. But for the Kentucky Wildcats women’s basketball team, the stakes were much higher on Monday night. Coming off the announcement of their #15 ranking in the latest AP Polls, the Wildcats found themselves on upset watch against the Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons.
In a night where Kentucky expected to jump on the Mastodons early, the opposite happened, they failed to address the elephant in the room. Sure, Kentucky ultimately earned the 79-67 victory, but the final score doesn’t show how close the game actually was. In reality, the Wildcats found themselves trailing at halftime in a game the BBN assumed would be a cakewalk. While the outcome will go down as a win on paper, the performance left plenty to be desired.
One of the key factors for the Lady Cats was the veteran leadership and clutch play of All-American point guard Georgia Amoore. The senior continued to shine as the team’s engine, tallying a game-high 23 points on 7-for-18 shooting. While her efficiency wasn’t perfect, her timing was impeccable. Time and again, when Kentucky needed a bucket to stop a Mastodon run or create separation, Amoore delivered. Her ability to hit shots under pressure and take over when the game was on the line has made her not just a leader but a fan favorite in Lexington.
Amoore wasn’t the only Wildcat to step up in this nail-biter. Dazia Lawrence continued her breakout season with another stellar performance, contributing 21 points, including a red-hot start in the first quarter. Lawrence set the tone early, scoring 10 of her total points in the opening frame, keeping Kentucky in the fight when Purdue-Fort Wayne came out firing.
For Kentucky, the road ahead only gets tougher. With conference play coming up fast and the target on their backs growing larger as a newly minted top-15 team, every game will require a full 40-minute effort. Monday’s win was a reminder that rankings don’t guarantee anything, and every opponent is capable of landing a knockout blow if you let them at this level.
Still, a win is a win, and these Kentucky Wildcats are undefeated through five games. Kentucky will get the week off before they travel to Nashville to face Arizona State in the Music City Classic. The sample size is small, but Kenny Brooks appears to have something going in Lexington, better jump on-board now!
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