Women’s Basketball: Tennessee, Kentucky cruise in openers

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee eclipsed the century mark in a season opener for just the sixth time in its illustrious history, cruising to a 101-53 victory over Samford Tuesday night in Kim Caldwell’s debut as Lady Vol head coach.

With a crowd of 9,515 looking on at Food City Center, five Big Orange players scored in double figures to lead the charge. Junior forward Zee Spearman racked up 15 points in the fourth quarter and finished with a career-high 25 to chart the second-highest total ever by a Lady Vol in her debut game. Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper was next for Tennessee (1-0) with 19, followed by fifth-year guard Jewel Spear with 18, senior guard Samara Spencer with 12 and junior guard Ruby Whitehorn with 10. Spear drained four threes to aid her cause and help the home team card 10 long balls for the game.

Samford (0-1) was paced by four in double figures, with Claire Johnson tossing in 13, Emily Bowman and Kennedy Langham 12 each, and Annie Ramil 11. The Bulldogs, who were held to 35.7 percent field goal percentage and 15 percent (3-20) beyond the arc, committed 37 turnovers that led to 50 Lady Vol points on the night. 

Kentucky 98, SC Upstate 43

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Clara Strack scored 22 points, Georgia Amoore added 11, and No. 22 Kentucky started with a 98-43 win over South Carolina Upstate on Monday in the Wildcats’ first game under Kenny Brooks.

Brooks built Virginia Tech into an NCAA Tournament regular and brought Strack, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, and Amoore, a graduate senior and All-American candidate, with him as his Wildcat roster has 11 new players.

Amoore had nine points in the first quarter, and Kentucky used runs of 11 and nine points to lead 26-11 after one quarter. A 15-point run helped boost the Wildcats’ lead to 47-18 at the half.

Teonni Key, Amelia Hassett and freshman Clara Silva all had 14 points. Key and Hassett each had nine rebounds, while Silva went 6-for-6 and had six blocks.

The Wildcats shot 52% (35 of 67) and held the Spartans to 29 percent shooting. USC Upstate had 18 turnovers and was outscored 34-0 on points off turnovers.

Rebekah Gordon and AC Markham led USC Update with eight points.