Ben BabyMar 21, 2025, 04:12 PM ET
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- Ben Child covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the corporate in July 2019. Previous to ESPN, he labored for more than a few newspapers in Texas, maximum not too long ago at The Dallas Morning Information the place he lined school sports activities. He supplies day by day protection of the Bengals for ESPN.com, whilst making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL displays and ESPN Radio techniques. A local of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the College of North Texas with a bachelor’s level in journalism. He’s an accessory journalism professor at Southern Methodist College and a member of the Asian American Reporters Affiliation (AAJA).
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky senior guard Georgia Amoore had a few issues driving on a couple of unfastened throws past due on her house court docket on Friday.
The 4-seed Wildcats wanted each level to keep away from some of the greatest collapses in NCAA event historical past in opposition to 13-seed Liberty within the first spherical of the event. She additionally wanted each photographs to possess a work of faculty historical past.
Amoore cut up the variation. She made considered one of two and the Wildcats did simply sufficient down the stretch to overcome the Flames 79-78 for the workforce’s first event win since 2021. Amoore’s 34 issues additionally matched essentially the most through a Kentucky participant in a tourney sport, tying A’dia Mathies’ overall in 2013 in opposition to Dayton.
Amoore had no concept she was once at the verge of historical past when she stepped to the road with seven seconds left within the sport. She simply knew the Wildcats (23-7) had to meet the power required for the large second.
“The rest can occur,” Amoore stated after the sport at Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum.
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Friday afternoon was once at the verge of turning into a historical day for a completely other reason why. With 9:36 left within the sport, Liberty trailed through 17 issues. Had the Flames (26-7) triumph over the deficit, it will had been the second-biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NCAA event historical past, consistent with ESPN Analysis.
That was once trimmed down to some degree within the ultimate minute. Had Liberty secured a defensive rebound, it had a shot at a go-ahead ownership with kind of 23 seconds left. Alternatively, Kentucky’s Amelia Hassett secured her personal pass over to start out the free-throw parade that gave Amoore her proportion of the varsity document. She made 3 of 4 makes an attempt to seal the win. They all had been wanted taking into consideration Liberty’s Emma Hess, who scored 17 issues, banked in a miracle 3-pointer with :02 left.
First-year Kentucky trainer Kenny Brooks was once now not delighted with how the workforce performed down the stretch, specifically within the paint, the place Liberty received a lot of its one-on-one matchups. Liberty additionally pressed the problem in hopes of pulling off the disappointed.
“Then we had been enjoying to not lose versus win the basketball sport,” Brooks stated. “It’s important to give them credit score. They had been the aggressors. If you end up down like that you just shouldn’t have a lot to lose. May as smartly pass all out.”
At one level, Amoore appeared destined to shatter the varsity document and submit a really particular NCAA event efficiency. She scored 23 issues within the first part on 9-of-13 taking pictures, together with 5-of-6 on 3-point makes an attempt.
However she and the remainder of the Wildcats struggled to get a bucket within the fourth quarter. Within the ultimate body, Kentucky ignored 12 of its 17 photographs. One of the crucial few makes was once a key midrange jumper through senior guard Dazia Lawrence, who completed with 16 issues. Lawrence additionally had a nook 3-pointer on the finish of the primary part that gave Kentucky a 44-34 lead on the destroy.
“Simply enjoying off Georgia, I do know any time she comes off the display, I want to pass within the nook and get up so I will be in the ones gaps, so she will in finding me and simply knock the shot down,” Lawrence stated.
Amoore, a first-team All-SEC participant and the convention’s newcomer of the yr, additionally had 8 assists and performed all 40 mins. She scored or assisted on a mixed 55 issues, the sixth-highest overall in a event sport since 2019, in step with ESPN Analysis. The one avid gamers with the next quantity in that class are Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu.
Amoore and Lawrence are two of the avid gamers who joined Brooks in Lexington when the Wildcats employed him clear of Virginia Tech. Amoore and sophomore middle Clara Strack, who tallied 15 issues in opposition to Liberty, performed for Brooks at Virginia Tech.
Now, the gang Brooks and the Wildcats have assembled this season is one win clear of Kentucky’s first Candy 16 since 2016.
“We simply sought after to construct round it and ensure we put items in combination and now not simply have a number of ability,” Brooks stated. “I believed we did a truly excellent activity of that. Glaring through the way in which they have got come in combination, play in combination. You may take a look at them and assume they been in combination for some time.”
