No. 16 UNC women hand No. 14 Kentucky first loss of season

The undefeated start to the season finally came to an end for head coach Kenny Brooks and the 14th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday.

No. 16 North Carolina took a 36-25 lead into the half on its way to a 72-53 win over the Wildcats.

North Carolina (8-1) shot 47.5% from the floor and dominated Kentucky in the paint, 42-10. The Tar Heels also had the rebounding advantage, 37-29.

Three players scored in double figures for North Carolina. Sophomore Reniya Kelly had 18 points and six assists while seniors Maria Gakdeng (16 points, nine rebounds) and Alyssa Ustby (13 points, eight rebounds) had a balanced effort.

Thursday night was the first setback this season for Kentucky. Senior Dazia Lawrence led the Wildcats with 17 points. Coming into the game, center Clara Strack (18.3 PPG) and guard Georgia Amoore (15 PPG) led the team in scoring. On Thursday, Strack was held to a season-low four points (2-for-10) and Amoore shot just 4-for-12 with 10 points.  

Kentucky (7-1) could not seem to find any consistency from the floor. The Wildcats shot just 19-for-54 (35.2%) and 7-for-24 (29.2%) from long range. 

Aside from a 69-58 loss to No. 2 UConn (7-0), the Tar Heels have had an impressive start to the season. They return to action on Sunday against Coppin State.

Prior to Thursday night, Kentucky had not suffered a loss. The Wildcats took down rival and 18th-ranked Louisville (5-3), 71-61, and got another impressive win over No. 19 Illinois (7-1), 76-53. Kentucky returns home to face Queens on Monday before a road trip to Purdue (5-3) on Dec. 14.