Feb. 22, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will face its fifth straight nationally ranked opponent when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., on Sunday, Feb. 24 to take on No. 4 Tennessee at Thompson Boling Arena. Game time is 3 p.m. ET and will be carried live on WLXG-AM Sports Radio 1300 with Chris Cross.
The teams will be meeting for the 41st time, more than any other UK rivalry and is the regular season finale for both teams. The Wildcats (8-18, 1-12 Southeastern Conference) hope to get back on the winning track after falling to No. 6/7 Vanderbilt on Thursday, 73-57.
“Our effort has been there all year and there is no question about that,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “We’ve played some very talented teams and playing at Tennessee on their “Senior Day” will be no easy task. I know that if we play the way we are capable of playing then it will be an exciting game. We have the talent and the heart, we just have to limit our mistakes and put two good halves together.”
Sophomore All-SEC and All-America candidate SeSe Helm is ranked sixth in the SEC in scoring and leads UK with 17.0 points per game. Junior All-SEC candidate Rita Adams, who leads the league in steals per game (3.6), follows in the scoring column with 10.8 ppg.
The Lady Vols clinched their fifth consecutive SEC championship with a convincing 86-69 win over Ole Miss on Thursday and are currently on a three-game winning streak. They are 23-3 overall, 12-1 in the SEC.
Junior guard Kara Lawson leads three Lady Vols in double-figures, averaging 15.4 points per game. Senior Michelle Snow, who will be honored in “Senior Day” ceremonies, follows in the scoring column with 13.2 ppg. Junior forward Gwen Jackson is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.8 boards a game and third leading scorer with 10.8 ppg.
UT holds a 36-5 lead in the all-time series dating back to 1976. The Lady Vols own a 19-game win streak over the Cats and are 13-2 when playing in Knoxville against the Big Blue. UK has not defeated UT in Knoxville since a 76-72 overtime win on Jan, 23, 1985. UK’s last win over the Big Orange came a year later with a 96-82 victory in Lexington on Jan. 24, 1986.
The Cats, currently ranked 12th in the SEC rankings, will leave for the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 27. They will be a 12th seed and will play on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. ET in the Gaylord Entertainment Center. UK’s opponent will be determined on Sunday night.
