Dec. 31, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s basketball team celebrated New Years Eve early and granted Coach Bernadette Mattox her birthday wish by defeating Cincinnati, 69-67, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 in Memorial Coliseum. It was the Cats’ fourth straight win.
In a back-and-forth second half that saw six lead changes, freshman Jennifer Humphrey’s putback layup gave UK a 69-63 lead with 1:21 remaining. Two UC free throws and a layup cut the Wildcat lead to 69-67 with :45 seconds to go. After Humphrey missed a baseline jumper, UC’s K.B. Sharp’s 15-footer in the waning seconds came up short and UK held on for the hard-fought victory.
“We finally came together as a team,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox, who celebrated her 44th birthday with twin sister Juliette today, said. “Rita Adams hit some big time shots for us and they all really played with confidence. I’m very proud of their effort tonight.”
Kentucky was able to overcome 21 turnovers by shooting 51.9 percent from the floor, the third straight game to shoot 50 percent or better from the field. The Cats hit 6-of-12 three-pointers while UC sank 5-of-17.
Senior guard Rita Adams finished with a game-high 25 points for Kentucky, her third 20-plus point performance of the season, sixth career. Sara Potts joined Adams in double figures with 10. Freshman Jenny Pfeiffer, who had the duty of guarding the Bearcats’ top scorer Valerie King, chipped in nine points. She held King, who came into the game averaging 19.2 points a game, to only three points in the first half. King finished the game 13. Shambrica Jones charted eight points and three assists in the winning effort after sitting out last game due to a sore back.
Adams led the Cats in the first half with 14 points as UK took a 34-29 lead into halftime. UK is now 3-0 when leading at the half. The Cats also outrebounded the Bearcats, 33-28, the fourth straight game to outrebound their opponent.
UK now leads the overall series 17-5 and remains unblemished at home against the Bearcats 12-0. Kentucky snapped a two-game losing streak to Cincinnati after dropping the last two games, 73-57 last season in the Queen City and 57-38 in 2000 in Louisville.
Cincinnati was led by former Wildcat Carolyn Alexander, Debbie Merrill and Sharp who scored 14 points each. UK shot 44.3 percent from the floor. The Cats will next be in action on Thursday, Jan. 2, when they play host to Mid-American foe Marshall. The game will be played at Rupp Arena at 5 p.m. as part of a double-header with the men’s team. The UK men will face Alcorn State at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET.
Tickets are available online at www.ukathletics.com and the Memorial Coliseum ticket office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Tickets also may be ordered over the phone by calling 859-257-1818 or 1-800-928-CATS (2287). One ticket is good for both games.
