Kentucky placed four players in double figures and held off a feisty Morehead State squad 75-59 on Monday night at Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Senior point guard Tonie Morgan led the Cats with 16 points and she added four assists. Clara Strack had a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while teammate Jordan Obi matched Strack with 15 points and 15 rebounds of her own. Ameila Hassett had 10 points and eight rebounds for UK.
The much taller Cats dominated the rebounding battle, grabbing 54, compared to just 33 for the Eagles. UK had 38 points in the paint, while MSU had just 20.
Morehead State was hot early, hitting their first three shots and building a 7-0 lead before a Jordan Obi basket made it 7-2. After an MSU three, Obi scored again, but MSU answered with another three to lead 13-4.
Kentucky would get buckets from Obi, Morgan and Strack to cut the deficit to 13-10. A Hassett three tied the game and an Asia Boone layup gave UK a 15-13 lead. In total, the Cats used a 16-0 run to build a 20-13 lead. Kentucky would lead 25-17 after the first quarter.
Both teams struggled from the field to begin the second quarter. MSU made just one of its first four shots and UK made just one of its first eight shots. A Morgan layup gave the Cats a 30-20 lead. Morgan scored two more baskets and the Cats led 34-22 with 4:55 left in the first half.
After Morehead State hit a free throw, Strack made consecutive buckets and Hassett hit a three to extend the lead to 41-25. Kentucky would lead 43-27 at the half. Obi led the Cats with 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
As they did in the first quarter, Morehead State came out hot after halftime. The Eagles scored eight in a row to cut the UK lead to 43-35 before Strack hit two free throws to give the Cats a double-digit advantage. However, MSU answered with a three to get within seven, 45-38.
With the score 47-40, UK went on a 14-1 run, including five points from Strack, to lead 61-41. MSU closed the period on a 5-2 run, but the Cats led 63-46 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, MSU made two of its first eight shots, while UK made just one of its first eight. However, the Cats maintained their 17-point cushion.
Morehead State would eventually get with 12 at 71-59, but the Eagles would get no closer.
Morehead State’s Marie Sepp led all scorers with 21 points.
Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, hosting Monmouth in Lexington. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
Courtesy: UK Athletics
