Morgan and Hassett lead Kentucky to 71-56 win vs. James Madison in women's NCAA Tournament 1st round

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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Tonie Morgan had 18 points and Amelia Hassett scored 11 of her 14 during a dominant first half to help Kentucky cruise to a 71-56 victory over James Madison in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Clara Strack had her 15th double-double of the season for the Wildcats (24-10), the No. 5 seed in the Fort Worth region, who advanced to play either No. 4 seed West Virginia or No. 13 Miami (Ohio) in the second round on Monday.

Strack, a 6-foot-5 center who averages a double-double this season, had 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats. Jordan Obi added 12 points.

Kentucky led from the start and used size to its advantage to build as much as a 29-point lead in the second quarter.

“I mean, it's March,” Morgan said. “We wanted to come out full swing ahead. We wanted them to know we arrived here and didn't want to go home.”

Ashanti Barnes scored 16 and Peyton McDaniel added 15 points for the 12th-seeded Dukes (26-9). The Sun Belt Conference Tournament champs saw their 12-game winning streak snapped.

James Madison used a sagging zone defense in the paint or a double-team on Strack in an attempt to slow down the Wildcats, but that left Strack’s teammates open for shots.

The taller Wildcats worked the ball inside for easy baskets and made things tough on the defensive end of the court. Kentucky blocked eight shots and limited James Madison to 29% shooting in the first half and 34% for the game. The Dukes made just 3 of 17 3-pointers.

Seven different Kentucky players scored in the first quarter, led by Hassett’s eight points in the first three minutes. Kentucky used a 19-2 run to lead 32-10 after the first quarter before cooling off.

“Early on I thought they were really great, really brilliant. You saw the first quarter,” James Madison coach Sean O'Regan said. "“I thought we had a really bad start, a really bad quarter. But I give Kentucky all the credit.

"Their length was really bothersome and I think it affected our ability to make shots early, affected us on the glass as well.”

Kentucky finished the half missing 12 of its final 13 shots but still led 43-18 at halftime.

James Madison chipped away at the deficit but got no closer than the final margin.

Second-year Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks beat his former school and alma mater, as well as O'Regan, his longtime ex-assistant. Brooks became the winningest coach at James Madison from 2002 to 2016 before leaving for an eight-year stint at Virginia Tech. O’Regan took over at JMU after Brooks left.

Leading up to Saturday, Brooks didn’t play up the emotional angle of facing JMU, viewing this as just “another game.”

Afterward, Brooks said he was proud of O'Regan and that he couldn't sleep Friday night, admitting “it's difficult when you play against your alma mater that you love so much.”

“I've coached at three places. But JMU is home,” Brooks said. “It's where I cut my teeth. It's where I got married. It's where I met my wife. It's where I had my children. It's a lot.”

“If there was one team I would’ve preferred not to play, it would’ve been them," O'Regan said. “Not because we’re scared of Kentucky’s players or anything like that. It’s more for me that I root for him.”

O’Regan had defeated Brooks and Virginia Tech in the 2019 National Invitation Tournament.

Morgan went to the bench after tripping and falling behind Kentucky’s basket late in the third quarter. She grimaced in pain and put a towel over her head as trainers worked on her left leg. She eventually returned and scored seven points in the fourth quarter to keep James Madison at bay.

Kentucky will look to advance to the Sweet 16 on Monday for the first time since 2016. The Wildcats have lost the last four times they played in the second round.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness