Kentucky WBB cruises by USC Upstate, 98-43 in opener of Kenny Brooks Era

On Monday, Kentucky Women’s Basketball opened up the season with a win over USC Upstate at Memorial Coliseum, 98-43. In this first matchup of the Kenny Brooks Era, there were plenty of things for Kentucky fans to be excited about, on both sides of the court. The last time Kentucky scored at least 98 points in a game was Nov. 11, 2021. Almost three years ago to the day.

Last season, the ‘Cats defeated the Spartans 82-54 in the second game of the season. This time around, however, Kentucky dominated the court for 40 straight minutes of play. The ‘Cats shot 35-67 (52.2%) from the field, holding the Spartans to only 17-58 (29.3%). Clara Strack led Kentucky from the field with 22 points on 7-11 (63.6%) and eight rebounds. Even still, the ‘Cats had five players in double-digits, including a double-double from Georgia Amoore.

Coach Brooks used the starting lineup of Amoore, Dazia Lawrence, Teonni Key, Amelia Hassett, and Strack. While those five held their own, Brooks decided to test out multiple lineups, including the one with both Strack and Silva. Cassidy Rowe saw the floor for a total of 16 minutes, finishing the game with two points and a steal. Freshman Lexi Blue added four points, two assists, two steals, and a rebound. As a team, Kentucky finished with 45 rebounds, 26 assists, 12 blocks, and 10 steals.

As for the Spartans, USC Upstate wasn’t able to produce anything, offensively or defensively. When you’re playing against a team whose bigs are 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-5, there’s not much you can do. However, that didn’t stop the Spartans from getting some good looks. AC Markham led USC Upstate in scoring, finishing with eight points on 3-5 (60%), plus 2-3 (67%) from three.

Up next, the ‘Cats take on Northern Kentucky University on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6:00 p.m. EST at Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff can be streamed on the SEC Network+.