Kentucky (19-7, 8-6)
vs. Alabama (9-17, 3-10)
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2006 – 1:00 p.m. ET
– Lexington, Ky.
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Television Coverage
FSN South/Big Blue Sports Network
LEXINGTON, Ky.- The Kentucky women’s basketball team looks to end the regular season on a winning note when it plays host to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Rupp Arena on Sunday, Feb. 26. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. EST and the game will be televised live on FSN South and the Big Blue Sports Network. It also can be heard on the Big Blue Sports Network with Neil Price. Senior forward Stephanie Stumbo and senior manager Beth Davis will be honored prior to tip-off during “Senior Day” ceremonies.
Single-game general admission tickets are available at the door for $5 for adults and $2 for senior citizens and children ages 18 and under. UK students, faculty and staff are admitted free with valid identification based on availability.
“Playing Alabama in Rupp Arena on Sunday should be an exciting time for us,” UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. “We are honoring Stephanie Stumbo, our one lone true senior, along with our head manager Beth Davis. Both of these young ladies have meant a great deal to our program the past four years.
“Alabama is solid team that has been shooting the ball and crashing the boards extremely well,” DeMoss said. “They have three players that are averaging double-figures in conference play and I’m sure they are going to come in on Sunday and be ready to play.”
Kentucky (19-7, 8-5 Southeastern Conference), which is coming off a 72-55 loss to No. 23/24 Vanderbilt on Thursday, boasts an 8-5 conference record and currently sits in fourth position in the SEC standings. The Cats can secure a bye in the SEC tournament with a win over Alabama.
Sophomore All-SEC candidate Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) leads UK in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game. She has charted double-figures in six consecutive games, including 12 points vs. Vanderbilt. Senior Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.) leads the charge on the glass, pulling down an impressive 9.2 rebounds per game. The 6-3 forward/center ranks third in the SEC in rebounding.
Alabama (9-17, 3-10 SEC) has lost nine of its last 10 games and is looking to snap a two-game losing streak after back-to-back losses to No. 5 Tennessee and No. 3 LSU. Junior Navonda Moore leads the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game overall and 14.2 per contest in SEC action. Stephany Smith is in her first season at Alabama, her ninth season as a head coach. Prior to Alabama she served eight years as the head coach at Middle Tennessee State.
This marks the 31st meeting in the series between the teams, the only regular season meeting with Alabama this season. The series is tied at 15 apiece and UK has won two in a row vs. the Tide in Lexington. UK fell last season in a heartbreaker in Tuscaloosa, 69-63, in overtime.
Kentucky will return to action in the SEC Tournament in North Little Rock, Ark., March 2-5 against an opponent to be determined.