The Cats led by as many as 16 points but couldn’t close out the Tigers.
On Sunday afternoon, Kenny Brooks’ team came out firing on all cylinders in front of a sold-out crowd inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Their opponent, the 7th-ranked LSU Tigers, was aiming to keep pace with South Carolina and Texas for the top spot in the Southeastern Conference.
But it was the Kentucky Wildcats who came out playing with a purpose and executing their strategy early on in the game.
To Kim Mulkey’s great disdain, UK would put it on the Tigers in the first 20 minutes, extending their lead to as many as 16 points.
By the time the second quarter was over, Kentucky took a comfortable 12-point lead into the halftime break.
Anyone in attendance or watching at home fully expected LSU to make a run at some point in the second half, and they didn’t waste any time doing just that.
Whatever Kim Mulkey said to her team in the locker room clearly got the message across.
The Tigers would win the third quarter by a score of 23-6 and never looked back.
The onslaught in that third period was just too much for UK to handle, killing their chance at securing a marquee win in front of the Big Blue Nation.
Georgia Amoore led Kentucky with 16 points and five assists.
In the second quarter, the All-American candidate dazzled the capacity crowd with an incredible steal, which she tipped to herself at mid-court before laying up on the other end.
GEORGIA AMOORE. pic.twitter.com/1HJLxOfrET
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 23, 2025
Unfortunately, Clara Strack and others were throttled by foul trouble most of the afternoon.
Strack, who averages nearly 15 ppg, was only able to play 24 minutes, tallying eight points.
Props to freshman Clara Silva, who stepped up in Strack’s absence by scoring 12 points on 6/6 shooting from the field.
OK SILVA 6-6 pic.twitter.com/BRLKmZpyqr
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) February 23, 2025
LSU was the beneficiary of an incredible performance from sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams. The Louisiana native torched UK for 24 points on 10/21 shooting.
Whenever the Tigers needed someone to make a big play, it was Williams who answered the call time and time again.
The 65-58 loss was tough to accept, considering how well Kentucky played for three of the four quarters.
The Cats conference record drops to 10-4 placing them four games back of South Carolina.
However, as of today, UK is still positioned for a double-bye in the SEC tournament as the 4-seed.
Things won’t get much easier for Brooks’ team as #15 Tennessee travels to Lexington on Thursday for a rivalry showdown.