Sunday was a homecoming for UK junior Clara Strack. And the defending Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year gave her hometown fans what they came to see.
Strack had a career-high 27 points to go with 12 rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots as No. 24/20 Kentucky rolled past Buffalo 81-47.
Strack was 9 of 14 from the floor, including 1 of 4 from behind the arc, and 8 of 11 at the line.
Teonni Key also had a big game for the Cats. She scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Kentucky scored first when Strack scored in the lane, but Buffalo scored the next four to take their first lead of the game. Kentucky would score the next nine on buckets by Key, Strack, Jordan Obi, Key again and a Strack free throw.
After the Bulls scored, Asia Boone drove to the bucket to give the Cats a 13-6 lead. Two free throws from Obi gave UK a nine-point lead. A Lexi Blue free throw and a Kaelyn Carroll three made it 19-6 Cats. It would be 19-8 after one quarter.
Strack got the scoring started in the second quarter with a jumper in the lane and a Key layup made it 23-8. After a Buffalo three, Strack scored again to extend the lead to 25-11. An Obi bucket and a three from Amelia Hassett gave UK a 30-11 advantage.
Buffalo would score the next five points but two Strack free throws made it 32-16. Another Strack free throw gave the Cats a 17-point lead. After a Buffalo free throw, Tonie Morgan drove to the basket for a layup to make it 35-17. A Key putback gave the Cats a 37-17 lead. That would be the halftime score. Strack had 12 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
As she did in the first two quarters, Strack scored the first points of the third quarter. A Key free throw and an Obi layup made it 42-17 Cats. Buffalo scored four in a row before Strack scored again, making it 44-21. After Buffalo scored, UK got two Key layups to lead 48-23.
Buffalo scored seven straight before Strack converted a layup to give the Cats a 50-30 lead. Strack then hit a three and Buffalo added two free throws to make it 53-32 through three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Kentucky continued to extend the lead, with the final score being the largest margin in the game.
Kentucky returns to action on Wednesday night, hosting USC Upstate inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
Courtesy of Uk Athletics
