Lexington Hasn't Been Good for Purdue Basketball Teams

Kentucky junior Clara Strack is shown during a postgame interview with Carolyn Peck and Tiffany Greene on SEC Network following UK's win over Purdue Tuesday night. (Photo by Jamie H. Vaught)

By Jamie H. Vaught

KySportsStyle.com Magazine

Some leftovers from UK women basketball team’s 76-35 victory over Purdue Tuesday night at Historic Memorial Coliseum:

--Purdue hasn't had much luck lately while visiting Lexington twice. UK men's basketball team defeated the Boilermakers 78-65 in a exhibition matchup last month at Rupp Arena. (Purdue is currently ranked No. 1 in AP Top 25 poll.) And Tuesday night we saw UK women whip Purdue 76-35 in a dominating performance at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats, who play at Louisville Saturday afternoon, are now 6-0.

--Carolyn Peck, who grew up in the Jefferson City area in Tennessee, was one of the broadcasters for the SEC Network Tuesday night, covering the UK-Purdue matchup. Remember her? She once served as an assistant coach at Kentucky before winning the 1999 national championship as the head coach at Purdue.

--UK associate head coach Lindsey Hicks is a graduate of Purdue where she helped lead the Boilermakers to three Big Ten titles and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the national championship game in 2001. She was a Parade All-American in high school.

--On Kentucky's victory, coach Kenny Brooks said, "I really like what we’re doing and how we’re continuing to gain chemistry with each other and gel. We’re still a work in progress, but we show flashes of doing some very special things. Tonight was a good win, the first power opponent heading into this weekend, so it was really good for us."

--Six-foot-5 junior center Clara Strack is playing like a first-team All-American. Against Purdue, Strack, who led the nation in double-doubles going into the contest, had 17 points and 13 rebounds along with five blocks and two assists. It marked her fifth double-double of the season and the 36th of her career.

--On Strack being unguardable in a step-back move, Brooks said, “I don’t know about unguardable. I mean I can guard her…but it’s pretty impressive. I won’t say which one but when she made one of those fadeaways, one of the refs ran by and said 'that was nasty' and it is. And she’s getting it down pat and understanding where to get to her spots. I think the next part of our offense, because she’s getting doubled a lot, I think she’s the best passing post player in the country. So now if someone is doubling off her, Jordan (Obi’s) going to have to start diving."

Said Strack on her fade away shot, "I think coach was teaching me that shot like first day on campus, so definitely been a work in progress with that. It’s coming along, getting a lot better, knowing when to use it, not to just rely on it, too.”

--Speaking of Obi, a graduate guard who had to sit out last winter during her first year at Kentucky with a ruptured Achilles, gunned in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

--Senior guard Tonie Morgan had six assists along with 11 points. She has had at least six assists in all six games this season.

--The No. 20 Wildcats pumped in 11 of 30 three-point field goals for 37 percent with senior Amelia Hassett hitting 3 of 7 downtown jumpers.

--UK tied the school record for fewest points allowed in a half after holding Purdue to just nine points in the second half.

Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books

about UK basketball, including newly published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats:

Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at

Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor

and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter

@KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.