Tonie Morgan ties single-game assists record as Kentucky cruises past USC Upstate 90-30

Kentucky got its first two wins of the season in front of the home crowd at Historic Memorial Coliseum before going on the road and beating Buffalo at their place. On Wednesday night, the Cats returned home to take on USC Upstate, the same team that they beat by 55 in the very first game of the Kenny Brooks era.

It would be yet another big win for Kentucky, cruising past the Spartans 90-30 to get the 2025-26 season started with a perfect 4-0 record. Tonie Morgan‘s 16 assists in the win tie a program record set by Patty Jo Hedges.

Kentucky’s gameplan — or at least, what it seemed to be — was to shoot it from deep as much as possible. Through the first quarter, Kentucky was on pace for 48 three-point attempts for the game, going 5-12 from deep in the first period. It was 25-11 Cats after one.

This one got out of reach for USC Upstate in a hurry as they would only manage four second-quarter points. Clara Strack followed up her big outing against Buffalo with another great start on Wednesday, recording team highs in points (11), rebounds (10) and blocks (3) by the half. She would finish with 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks in the win. Amelia Hassett also had 20 points.

Tonie Morgan also had a big night, finishing with 11 points and 16 assists. Her 11th assist would actually end up being the 500th of her career. Believe it or not, she’s on pace to break Georgia Amoore‘s single season assists record that she set just last year. Her scoring hasn’t always been there this season, but her ability to distribute the basketball sure has been.

Next up for Kentucky is their second road game of the season, this time at Marshall. Led by former Transy head coach Juli Fulks, the Thundering Herd are 2-1 on the year, with their only loss being a close one at Indiana. This isn’t your typical mid-major opponent. The game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ on Saturday.