LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 5: Clara Strack #13 of the Kentucky Wildcats jogs up the court during the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on February 5, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesdholbrookFri, February 13, 2026 at 3:23 AM UTC·3 min readThe game started off how you would want if you are a Kentucky fan: The Cats won the tip, and then Asia Boone nailed a 3, and Tonie Morgan followed suit on the next possession, followed by another Asia Boone bomb. A Teonni Key hook forced the Aggies into a timeout early, the Cats were up 11-0, just 3 minutes into the game.
As is this Cats season, just when things start looking up, something bad happens. On a seemingly benign play, Clara Strack went down and was left limping as she was favoring her left knee. She went to the bench and was looked at by the training staff. She didn’t leave the bench area, so it looks like the Cats avoided disaster. She checked back in a few moments later, unfortunately for the Aggies.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the first quarter, Kentucky outscored Texas A&M 27-5.
Even better, Kentucky’s bench got a little run with Lexie Blue and Kaelyn Carroll seeing some run. This is something that will really help this team recover for the stretch run of a season that has been derailed by injuries, but could still be special.
Carroll was getting coached up nearly every time she came off the floor, and that is exactly what you hope to see with a player who has limitless potential.
If the first quarter was great offensive execution for the Cats, the second was the exact opposite. The Cats were 11-18 from the floor in the opening quarter, but struggled shooting just 5-22 in quarter 2. The good news is they were up 20, 38-18, but some things needed to be cleaned up in the second half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTonie Morgan sets a new program record for assists
Tonie Morgan finished the night with 8 assists, breaking Georgia Amoore’s 1-year record. Amoore finished 2024-2025 with 211, and Morgan now has 218 assists on the year.
The third quarter opened with some real physicality being exhibited. Clara Strack found herself on the floor numerous times and also found herself on the receiving end of a flagrant 2 foul from Emerald Parker. Parker and Strack were hand-fighting for a rebound when Parker decided to wind up and hit Clara in the face. The shooting matched the physical play as Kentucky just couldn’t find an offensive rhythm. After hitting 4-5 from deep in the first, the Cats were a stunning 1-15 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
The good news is that the defense was absolutely suffocating. Through 3 quarters, the Aggies were just 12-42 and had 14 turnovers. The fourth was much like the rest of the game outside of the 1st quarter, just 2 times fighting but struggling to score.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the end, getting the win mattered a lot here. After 43 turnovers in the last 2 games, Kentucky had just 14, a much more manageable number. You’d still want it to be down a little more, but it’s not the 20 or 23 the Cats have been seeing.
Kentucky would win 75-55 and be led in scoring by Asia Boone and Tonie Morgan with 19 apiece.
Drew Holbrook has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion
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