The box score says Kentucky won 63-57. But for head coach Kenny Brooks, the victory over No. 5 Oklahoma meant much more than a mark in the win column. It was a statement of resilience for a team that was humbled just a few days prior.
Coming off a humbling loss to Alabama and playing without injured forward Teonni Key, Kentucky looked like it was in trouble early on Sunday versus Oklahoma. The Sooners raced out to an early lead and poured it on to get out 24-11.
But something flipped. Kentucky dug in, battled back, and before the night was over, they held the high-powered Sooners to just 23 points in the second half to secure their second top-5 win this season.
Kenny Brooks doesn't know if he has 'ever been more proud'
After the game, Brooks was emotional about what his team had just pulled off.
“First and foremost, I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a group of young people,” Brooks said. “The way they came out, obviously with the circumstances, and still having remnants of Teonni’s absence, trying to reinvent ourselves into what we’re going to be in a very short amount of time while you’re playing top-notch opponents.”
It wasn't pretty early. Kentucky struggled to match Oklahoma's pace and confidence. They looked a little lost.
“Oklahoma does a tremendous job; they are the fastest team in the country,” Brooks explained. “They get the ball up and down the floor, they have the most possessions, and it took us a little while to figure out that they were going to be that aggressive. And then once we settled in, then it became a very physical basketball game.”
The Lady Cats are responding to adversity
The turning point might have come from a player who was struggling offensively. Jordan Obi missed several easy looks early, but she never quit pushing through. Brooks highlighted a specific hustle play before halftime that defined the game.
“Jordan missed, I don’t know, three, four, 19 layups? And then, she has a play... clearly the ball was going out on them, and we would have gotten the last possession, and she hustled and tried to save it,” Brooks said.
“When she looked at me, I was like, man, you can’t fault a kid for their effort... I said, ‘I’ll never fault you for your effort, we just have to play smarter.’ And she was huge for us.”
Obi finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds, scoring four crucial points in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Kentucky's stars showed up
While the defense won the game, Kentucky’s stars carried the offense. Tonie Morgan was a warrior, playing nearly 40 minutes on a tight fcalf to finish with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Clara Strack was equally dominant, posting a massive double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
“I thought Tonie was great all night, Clara was tremendous,” Brooks said. “We put the assignment of [Obi] guarding [Raegan] Beers so that Clara could kind of stay free and do some stuff on the offensive end.”
For Strack, the physical battle was about mindset.
“I think going in with the mindset to be ready for a battle every night, and then knowing we have to give it back,” Strack said. “We can’t just take it over and over again; we have to give it back and still use our strengths to our advantage.”
Box Score Notes
- Defense Wins Championships: Kentucky held Oklahoma to just 10.5% shooting from three-point range (2-for-19).
- Second Half Lockdown: The Cats held the Sooners to just 23 total points in the second half.
- Iron Women: Three Wildcats played 35+ minutes: Morgan (39:45), Strack (35:57), and Hassett (36:48).
Kentucky (3-1 SEC) now gets a few days of rest before hosting Florida Thursday night. But for now, they can celebrate a win that proved they can beat anyone, even when the odds are stacked against them.
“Staying true to ourselves... and not making any drastic changes because we lost one game,” Strack said of the bounce-back win. “Just going back to what we do every day.” What they do on most days is win.