Aussie Georgia Amoore scores 34 points as Kentucky advances in March Madness victory

Ballarat native, Georgia Amoore scored 34 points, including three free throws in the final 10 seconds for fourth-seeded Kentucky, which nearly blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead but held on for a 79-78 victory over 13th-seeded Liberty in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA tournament which is also referred to as "March Madness" is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's and women's basketball championship tournaments that begin every March in the USA.

Each tournament consists of a field of 68 of the best teams across the nation and Amoore, who declared for the WNBA Draft this week, has been turning heads.

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The second-team All-America guard made 6 of 10 3-pointers and added eight assists, two steals and two blocks. She scored 23 first-half points for the Wildcats (23-7), who led 67-50 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

But Kentucky then went cold, going nearly five minutes without scoring and missing eight straight shots over that stretch.

Liberty (26-7) got within 74-73 on a 3-pointer by Avery Mills — her only basket of the game — with 1:14 remaining.

“It’s hard when you’re down, but we really encouraged each other to keep our heads up and just fight hard,” said Jordan Hodges, who had 13 points for Liberty.

Amoore responded with a driving layup, her first points since the final minute of the third quarter.

“We might be the higher seed, but Liberty had nothing to lose,” Amoore said. “They wanted to come out and win and had all the energy.”

Liberty’s Emma Hess drained a 3-pointer for the final points of the game, but Amoore avoided getting fouled in the final 2 seconds to preserve Kentucky’s first tournament win in four years.

The Wildcats will face either Kansas State or Fairfield in the second round on Monday AEDT.

“Thank goodness for Georgia’s performance,” Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks said. “(She) and Dazia (Lawrence) really carried us from a mental standpoint, and we have to have others step up if we want to continue on.”

The Victorian has been a steady performer throughout her four years in the NCAAW, recording double-digit averages in every season she's played.

Amoore made a name for herself with the Virginia Tech Hokies, throughout the first three years, but made a huge move to heavyweights Kentucky Wildcats for 2025.

Amoore confirmed this week that she will make herself available for the WNBA Draft on April 14, with many experts rating her a top 10 contender.