Amoore leads No. 15 Kentucky past Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Georgia Amoore had 18 points and four steals, Dazia Lawrence scored 14 points and made four 3-pointers, and No. 15 Kentucky beat Florida 71-55 on Thursday night.

Kentucky scored the opening seven points of the game and Amoore’s three-point play made it 10-2. Amoore also capped an 8-0 run that spanned the first-quarter break for a 25-10 lead. Lawrence’s third 3-pointer of the game extended it to 30-12 with 6:32 left in the first half.

Amoore finished the first half with 14 points to help build a 41-19 lead. Amoore capped her scoring with 5:28 left in the third quarter to come two points shy of her seventh straight game with 20-plus.

Kentucky led by 20-plus for most of the third quarter until Laila Reynolds scored Florida’s final six points to get within 56-37.

Clara Strack added 12 points and eight rebounds for Kentucky (14-1, 3-0 SEC).

Reynolds scored 15 points for Florida (10-7, 1-2). Jeriah Warren added 13 points and Liv McGill had 10. Ra Shaya Kyle, averaging 15.9 points per game, was held to four second-half points.

Florida was seeking its first win over a ranked opponent since 2022.

Both teams play again on Sunday, with Kentucky hosting Auburn and Florida playing at Missouri.

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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball