Feb. 20, 2002
Lexington, Ky. – The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team will play host to No. 6 Vanderbilt on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum and will bid farewell to seniors LaTonya McDole and Niecee Patterson in pre-game “Senior Night” ceremonies.
The Wildcats (8-17, 1-11 Southeastern Conference) want to help the seniors end their Memorial Coliseum careers on a winning note and snap an 11-game losing streak. UK hopes to bounce back from a disappointing 73-57 loss to No. 25 Cincinnati on Tuesday in the Queen City. Sophomore All-SEC candidate SeSe Helm tied her career-high 26 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for her fifth career double-double.
“This night will be special for LaTonya and Niecee,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “Both players have given to our program in so many ways and we will miss them next year.”
Over the course of her career, McDole has made an impact on the women’s basketball program that will forever be remembered. As a freshman, she earned a starting position on a veteran squad early in the rugged SEC race. From there, she earned 10 double-doubles, finished the season third in rebounding and sixth in scoring, and scored a game-high 16 points in a season-ending second round game to nationally ranked UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.
McDole has had many other shining moments throughout her career. She has led the team in scoring the last two years, including finishing first on the team in rebounding, field goal percentage, and steals as a junior. She also made her way into five statistical categories in the SEC last season.
Now, in her final season, McDole has become the 22nd member of UK’s 1,000-point club. She has tallied 1,153 career points and has climbed to No. 15 on UK’s career scoring list. She has totaled 231 career steals and joins Valerie Still and Leslie Nichols as the only players who have charted 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals in a career. She has pulled down 695 career rebounds and is No. 7 on UK’s career list. Currently, she is fourth on the team in scoring (8.3 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.1 rpg).
“I wouldn’t do anything over,” McDole said. “My career here has been everything I had dreamed it would be.”
Enduring may be a key word as Patterson ends her UK career. After attending Charleston Southern University and Pensacola Junior College, Patterson joined the UK family in 2000. A knee injury kept the fifth-year senior out of action all of last season, leaving her only one year of eligibility. This season, she was voted team co-captain along with McDole and has seen action in 14 games.
“Being injured was frustrating, but I am satisfied with my position on the team,” Patterson said. “I am happy just bringing my leadership and basketball knowledge to this program. I’ve had a great time here and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
The Cats will hope to avenge a 71-54 loss to the Commodores on Jan. 10 which saw them trail 19-5 six minutes into the game and fall behind 41-28 at the half.
“In Nashville we dug ourselves a hole in the first half and struggled to climb out,” Mattox said. “We came out in the second half and played extremely well.”
Despite hitting one more shot than Vanderbilt (24-23) and outrebounding the Commodores by one (31-30), the Wildcats could not overcome the disparity at the free throw line where Vanderbilt went 19-of-29 compared to just 3-of-5 for UK. Chantelle Anderson led the way for the Commodores with a 33-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Cats were led by Helm and freshman Keiko Tate who scored 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Vanderbilt is 22-6 overall, 8-4 in the SEC after falling to No. 4 Tennessee last week, 75-68 in Knoxville.
The ‘Dores led the all-time series with Kentucky 16-12 and have won three straight over the Cats. UK, however, holds a 7-4 advantage when playing in Lexington. UK upset the nationally ranked Commodores in Memorial Coliseum, 70-69, on Jan. 7, 1999.
