The Kentucky women?s basketball team looks to enter the new year on an upswing when the Wildcats play host to Wake Forest in Rupp Arena Thursday, Dec. 30 in their final game of 2004. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 18 and under. UK students, faculty and staff are admitted free with valid identification and may be purchased online at www.ukathletics.com, in person at the athletic ticket office in Memorial Coliseum or by phone at 859-257-1818 or 1-800-927-CATS. All tickets are located in the lower level of Rupp Arena.
The Cats? (8-4) four-game winning streak was snapped just two days ago when Xavier hit a school-record 13 three-pointers en route to a 75-67 win. Wake Forest, under the direction of first-year Demon Deacon coach Mike Petersen, is off to one of the best starts in program history with a 10-1 overall record. The Demon Deacons are ranked in the upper half of the Atlantic Coast Conference and are receiving votes in both of the national polls. The Deacs? only loss of the season came against Hawaii, 68-64 in overtime. Petersen is in his first season at Wake after five years with the Golden Gopher men’s basketball program and 11 years of head women?s basketball coaching experience (Gonzaga, New Mexico State, TCU).
?Wake Forest is really an excellent team,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?They have a new coach and a good team this season. We could really use the fans? support in Rupp Arena.?
This is the first meeting between Kentucky and Wake Forest and the second straight year the Cats have faced an Atlantic Coast Conference team in Rupp Arena. UK met North Carolina last season. The Cats are 4-9 all-time vs. teams from the ACC.
This is the second consecutive home game for the UK Hoops teams in Rupp Arena. The Cats defeated Nicholls State 106-51 Dec. 21. The 55-point margin of victory was the largest for the women?s team in a game at the downtown venue. Kentucky’s 106 points were the most scored by the Wildcats since defeating Morris Brown 106-102 Dec. 23, 2002. UK is 13-4 all-time, 1-0 this season in Rupp Arena.
Senior guard/forward Sara Potts is leading UK in scoring with an average of 15.6 points per game, while junior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey is bringing down a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. Rookie center Sarah Elliott follows Potts in the scoring column, averaging 10.9 ppg. Elliott notched her first career double-double against Nicholls State with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The freshman ranks second in the conference standings in field goal percentage, shooting 64.7 percent from the floor.
The Wildcats have shot over 50 percent from the field in four consecutive games, including a season-high 60.9 percent vs. Nicholls State. UK even hit 51.8 percent in its loss to Xavier. The Cats are 4-1 this season when shooting 50 percent or better.
UK’s bench continues to out-score the opponents? bench by large margins. UK has out-scored its opponent’s bench in all 12 games. The Kentucky bench out-scored XU’s bench by 13 points (31-18) for a 388-203 total this season.
Cotelia Bond-Young leads three Wake Forest players in double-digit scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game. Liz Strunk and Porsche Jones follow with 14.6 and 13.0 ppg, respectively.
