Facing turnover struggles, Georgia Amoore never got rattled: 'The sign of a great point guard.'

Georgia Amoore has gotten used to beating Louisville. After dropping her first two matchups with the Cardinals while a member of the Virginia Tech Hokies, the 5-foot-6 Australian point guard won the next three, one happening in the 2023 ACC Tournament.

Despite dealing with turnover issues, the veteran floor general extended that streak to four on Saturday night — but wearing blue and white this time instead of maroon and orange.

Amoore played every single second of No. 20 Kentucky’s 71-61 overtime victory against No. 18 Louisville inside Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum. Her 45 minutes resulted in 19 points, nine assists, two steals, one rebound, and one block. The All-American guard shot 7-17 from the field, 3-9 from deep, and 2-2 from the free throw line.

None of it came easy, though.

An excellent Louisville defense hounded her from the opening tip to the final buzzer. Double teams off of ballscreens appeared out of nowhere. The Cardinals did everything they could to push her as far away from the basket as possible. Louisville senior guard Ja’Leah Williams is one of the best defenders in the entire ACC. It was physical. Amoore turned the ball over eight times, the second-most of her college career, which now spans 130 games.

But with every turnover — some were simply teammate miscommunications, some were her own mishaps, some were just due to great defense — the fifth-year star remained calm. Amoore is used to this kind of defense from a Jeff Walz-coached Louisville team. She’d seen it five times over the previous four years. So even in the face of nearly double-digit turnovers, Amoore was going to keep playing her game.

And it led to Kentucky’s first win over Louisville since 2015.

“Amoore is good as there is,” Walz said postgame. “And what I was impressed with her was, as rattled as we got her — I mean, she turned the damn ball over eight times, guys. We did a heck of a job. But she kept playing. And that’s what I always admired about her. No matter how rattled we got her, you never saw it on her face. And that’s the sign of a great point guard. I’ve got a ton of respect for her. I always have.”

Georgia Amoore tonight 🔥

• 19 points
• 9 assists
• 2 steals pic.twitter.com/GAjqZ4i33L

— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) November 17, 2024

Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks admitted postgame “A few of (Amoore’s) turnovers, they were mine.” But that’s the good thing about this only being the fourth game of the season. Neither Brooks nor Amoore would say they were at the top of their game, and yet the Wildcats came out with a massive rivalry win. The rotation was cut down to five players. Amoore had little choice but to keep fighting. Any sign of weakness would have been the end for both herself and UK’s chances at victory.

“I am a bit disappointed in the turnovers I had but I think it’s something to build off of and learn from,” Amoore said. “I knew it was coming, so there’s no point in me getting rattled. I can’t get defeated. As soon as I show that on my body language, then it’s over for me.“

As great as Amoore is and was against Louisville, Brooks is going to need more help in the backcourt moving forward. He praised Dazia Lawrence‘s efforts in that regard against Lousiville after the win but still wants more. Not just from Lawrence, but from everyone. As the chemistry continues to develop throughout the season, others will be expected to step up to take some of the load off Amoore’s shoulders.

But in her sixth and likely final game against Louisville, this one was Amoore’s to lose. Luckily for the Big Blue Nation, she’s just forgotten how to do that.

“I don’t lose to Louisville anymore,” Amoore said.

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