Georgia Amoore had a good game individually for Kentucky but her efforts failed to translate to a victory over Ole Miss on Monday night. The 5-foot-6 Australian guard came up with 15 points, five assists and one steal in 35 minutes for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-2 in SEC) whose strong start was derailed by the Rebels' stingy defense in the second half.
Amoore torched the Ole Miss defense early, scoring nine points on three layups and one 3-pointer. She also picked up an assist to lift Kentucky to a 22-18 edge in the first 10 minutes.
The Virginia Tech transfer picked up two more points on a jumper and a steal to finish the half with 11 points, one assist and one steal. Her efforts helped the No. 8-ranked Wildcats race to a 37-31 lead at the half.
The third quarter saw Amoore misfiring on all five attempts but had two assists to Teonni Key. Amoore's scoreless quarter proved costly with the Rebels scoring 17 to seize a 48-47 edge.
The Australian made her first two attempts in the fourth period and handed off two more dimes to Clara Strack. However, Ole Miss' defense held Kentucky to another 10-point quarter while dropping 18 points against the weak Wildcats' defense en route to a 66-57 win.
Here are Georgia Amoore's final stats against Ole Miss:
Wildcats vs. Rebels Game Recap: Ole Miss stuns Kentucky on fiery second-half comeback
Unranked Ole Miss (16-7, 7-4) surprised No. 8 Kentucky 66-57 to pick up its second win against an AP Top 25 opponent in three games. The Rebels blitzed the Wildcats in the second half, scoring 35 points while limiting their foes to 20 points to register the win.
Madison Scott topped Ole Miss' offense with 22 points, making 9-of-22 shots and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. She also tallied six rebounds, two assists and two blocks to be the only Rebel in double figures in the game.
KK Deans added nine points while Star Jacobs, Christeen Iwuala and Kennedy Todd-Williams added eight points each for Ole Miss, who won despite shooting 32.5% from the field.
The Rebels ruled the rebounding battle, 54-33, with half of those coming from the offensive glass. They also ruled the steals department, 9-5.
Teonni Key and Clara Strack had standout individual numbers for the Wildcats but they couldn't help the team win. Key finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three steals and four blocks while Strack came up with 13 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and eight blocks.
The main difference was in free throws wherein Ole Miss had 21 trips to the 15-foot line, making 14 of them, while Kentucky had only four attempts and made three. Ole Miss and Kentucky will play again on Thursday with the Rebels visiting Arkansas while the Wildcats host No. 3 Texas.
What did you make of Georgia Amoore's performance against Ole Miss? Let us know your insights in the comments section below.
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