17th-Ranked Kentucky Dominates Arkansas 94-64 in SEC Tournament Opening Round

The Kentucky Wildcats crushed Arkansas 94-64 in their SEC women's basketball tournament opener in Greenville, South Carolina. Clara Strack led Kentucky with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Amelia Hassett hit six three-pointers in the blowout victory.

The 17th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats delivered a commanding performance in their SEC women’s basketball tournament debut, crushing Arkansas 94-64 on Wednesday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Clara Strack dominated the court with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots, while Amelia Hassett connected on six three-point shots en route to 18 points for the ninth-seeded Wildcats (22-9). Despite being placed ninth in the highly competitive SEC, Kentucky overwhelmed the 16th-seeded Razorbacks (12-20) from the opening tip.

The Wildcats established early control, building a commanding 29-10 advantage after the first quarter. Arkansas managed to narrow the gap to 42-33 by halftime, but Kentucky pulled away decisively in the third period and eventually led by as much as 36 points in the final quarter.

Kentucky received balanced scoring contributions throughout their roster. Tonie Morgan recorded 14 points while dishing out 10 assists, and Jordan Obi matched that scoring output with 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Teonni Key chipped in 12 points and Asia Boone contributed 10. The Wildcats dominated the rebounding battle 52-27, converting those extra possessions into 17 second-chance points.

For Arkansas, Taleyah Jones topped all scorers with 21 points in the losing effort. Bonnie Deas provided 10 points and eight rebounds before being disqualified due to fouls.

In other SEC tournament action, 12th-seeded Florida defeated 13th-seeded Mississippi State 86-68 behind 22 points each from Liv McGill and Me’Arah O’Neal. McGill nearly achieved a triple-double with 10 assists and seven rebounds, while O’Neal made four of six three-point attempts for the Gators (18-14). Florida seized control early with a 12-2 run and maintained their advantage throughout.

Mississippi State (18-13) got 12 points and 10 rebounds from Favor Nwaedozi and 12 points from Destiney McPhaul. The Bulldogs struggled defensively, allowing Florida to shoot 50% from the field while the Gators also excelled at the free-throw line, making 22 of 28 attempts.

The day’s most dramatic finish came when 15th-seeded Auburn edged 10th-seeded Texas A&M 50-49 on Khady Leye’s layup with just five seconds remaining. The closely contested game featured six ties and eight lead changes, with the Aggies taking a 49-48 lead on Janae Kent’s free throws with 11 seconds left before Leye’s game-winner. Auburn’s Syriah Daniels sealed the victory by blocking Kent’s three-point attempt at the buzzer.

Kaitlyn Duhon paced the Tigers (15-16) with 14 points, while Leye finished with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, and Harissoum Coulibaly added 11 points. Ny’Ceara Pryor carried the scoring load for Texas A&M (14-12) with a game-high 25 points as the team’s only player to reach double figures.