When Kentucky lost senior forward Teonni Key to a dislocated elbow earlier this month, head coach Kenny Brooks knew he’d have to make some serious adjustments-especially on the defensive end. Key’s length and presence were a big part of what made the Wildcats so tough.
But Thursday night’s 94-89 comeback win over Florida threw another curveball his way. This time, it was All-American center Clara Strack who found herself sidelined for long stretches due to foul trouble.
That meant Kentucky had to reinvent itself again-on the fly, mid-game, and without two of its cornerstone players.
“Our defense is a little bit different without Key,” Brooks said afterward. “We got exposed a little bit tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a game where we gave up 35 points in a quarter.”
That third quarter was rough. Florida torched Kentucky for 35 points on 11-of-13 shooting-an eye-popping 84% clip.
The Gators, still looking for their first SEC win, came into the game 0-4 in conference play but didn’t play like it for most of the night. Through three quarters, they were shooting a blistering 64% from the field and had turned a 29-14 first-quarter deficit into a 73-66 lead heading into the fourth.
Brooks admitted he doesn’t have many plays in his playbook that don’t involve either Strack or Key. So when both were off the floor for extended stretches, that left a lot of responsibility on Tonie Morgan’s shoulders.
She didn’t flinch.
Morgan delivered one of her best performances of the season, scoring a season-high 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting, knocking down 9-of-13 from the line, and dishing out 13 assists. Yes, she had seven turnovers-but none in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.
With the game slipping away, Morgan steadied the ship.
Strack, despite the foul trouble, still managed to score 21 points and pull down five rebounds. She returned late and made her presence felt, scoring four points in the final four minutes, including two clutch free throws that gave Kentucky an 88-87 lead with two minutes remaining.
Then came Asia Boone.
After a rough start-she and forward Amelia Hassett were a combined 4-for-19 from the field through three quarters-Boone came alive in the fourth. She scored seven points, hit a big-time floater from about 15 feet out to push Kentucky’s lead to 90-87, and then calmly knocked down two free throws after grabbing a key rebound off a Florida miss. Hassett also found her rhythm, scoring seven in the final quarter and going a perfect 2-for-2 from the field, including a three-pointer.
Boone, though, was quick to deflect the credit.
“It was mostly just the other girls creating plays for me to get open shots,” she said. “Mostly Tonie and Clara-because they were so focused on Clara.
There were times I was open because they doubled her. Tonie drove and I had an open look because they over-helped.
That’s how I got my shots.”
But Boone also acknowledged the emotional spark that helped turn the game around. Kentucky’s leaders weren’t quiet during Florida’s third-quarter surge.
“They were yelling at us,” Boone said. “But it was more encouraging-like, ‘Hey, we need to get out of this funk.
We’re better than this. We shouldn’t be losing this game.’”
That message landed.
Kentucky found its energy late, leaned into its depth, and reminded everyone why it’s sitting at 17-2 overall and 4-1 in SEC play. It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but in a conference as tough as the SEC, wins like this matter.
As Brooks put it: “It’s not the way you want to win, but we found a way. We found a different way to win. And in the SEC, you take the win and move on.”
That’s exactly what Kentucky did-gritted its teeth, leaned on its stars, and found a way.