Clara Strack and Tonie Morgan were terrific on Thursday as Kentucky women's basketball roared to a 15-point win in the SEC Women's Tournament. The Cats got their revenge on Georgia for the earlier loss, and then Strack and Morgan joined the SEC panel to discuss the win.
Clara Strack's 3 point barrage and Tonie Morgan explodes in the 2nd half
Strack had 33 and a historic 5 3's, making her the first SEC player 6'5 or taller to make 5 3-point shots in a game this century.
Strack told the panel, "It felt good, so I just kept doing it." Yes, she did. This comes after Kenny Brooks had a tough conversation with her about being the "worst superstar" he has coached.
Clara said, "I think I've always been good with tough love. People being hard on me...We do have that relationship that he can say things like that to me, and I know where it's coming from. I know he is just trying to get the best out of me because he knows what I am capable of, so I don't take that so hard. I don't take that in a bad way, that's what I need."
Tonie Morgan, who was quiet with just 2 points in the 1st half, decided she wanted to get in on the action. "I mean, you're gonna get good looks, just focus and know that you can do that. And that's what I try to do."
She finished with 14 points and 7 assists. She also pointed out what the special message on her wristband meant. GIG=God is Good, TB=Tasha Butts, who passed away from Breast Cancer in 2023 and was Morgan's assistant coach at Georgia Tech. And finally hoop. She said hoop was there because, "You gotta have fun."
South Carolina looms tomorrow
Not sure how much fun taking on the Gamecocks will be after Kentucky held them to a season-low 60 points on Sunday. The Cats couldn't get the win, but they were right there. Now Kentucky will face a rested South Carolina, as the Cats have played 2 games in 2 days. Morgan knows it won't be easy:
"This is a different game. This is a different atmosphere, and we gotta come prepared, ready to play and give them our all for 40 minutes."
Strack, for her part, is ready to go out there and play. "We're focusing on ourselves, we got to rest tonight...we're really just trying to have fun, we're trying to hoop."
If you want to watch these girls hoop you can tomorrow at Noon on ESPN.
How to watch Kentucky WBB vs South Carolina
- Location: Greenville, South Carolina
- Time: 12 PM EST
- Channel: ESPN, DirecTV (206), Dish Network (140)
- Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV (Orange Plan)
If you are at work and can't watch, you can follow along here, or you can follow along over at ukathletics.com with live stats or the radio broadcast.