Big Blue Preview: No. 16/15 Kentucky Women’s Basketball Plays Host to Belmont for the Holiday Game on Friday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 16/15 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program will play host to Belmont on Friday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. ET in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
It will mark the program’s annual holiday game, as fans can enjoy festive music, spirited games and an appearance from Big Blue Santa. The Wildcourt Club and the Junior Wildcat Club also will host their respective holiday parties.
Big Blue Nation can still purchase single-game tickets to the game and all 10 of the program’s remaining home games this season. To shop single-game tickets, click here. For a full list of the program’s nonconference promotional lineup, click here.
Darren Headrick will have the radio call for UK Sports Network, his eighth straight season as the voice of the Wildcats. His call will be carried on 630 AM WLAP (Lexington) and 790 AM WKRD (Louisville).
Big Blue Nation also can watch the game on SEC Network+, with fan-favorites Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the broadcast.
With just a pair of nonconference games remaining on the schedule, UK is 9-1 on the season, including 6-0 in Historic Memorial Coliseum.
Kentucky is coming off a dominat road win at Purdue, 82-52, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, last Saturday. The 30-point triumph marked UK’s largest margin of victory in a nonconference road game since defeating Wagner by 39 points on Nov. 10, 2013.
In Mackey Arena, UK shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-of-65), its second-best, field-goal percentage of the season. It knocked down 10 makes from the arc, while it also tied the school record for best single-game, free-throw percentage (with at least 10 attempts) with 100.0 percent on 12-of-12.
Impressively, all nine of UK’s wins this season have been by at least 10 points.
Amelia Hassett, junior forward, led the Wildcats, scoring a season-high 22 points, her first 20-plus point game of the season. She also recorded nine rebounds. Georgia Amoore, graduate guard, added 21 points, her second-straight, 20-plus point game. Each of them eclipsed scoring milestones in the last two games, with Hassett passing 1,000 career points against Queens on Dec. 9 and Amoore passing 2,000 career points at Purdue on Dec. 14.
Amoore’s 2,009 career points are currently ranked seventh among NCAA DI active players.
Also in Mackey Arena, Clara Strack earned her fifth double-double this season on 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Five Wildcats are averaging double-digit scoring right now – Strack (16.0), Amoore (15.6), Dazia Lawrence (13.0), Teonni Key (11.5), Hassett (10.8) – as the team puts up 76.9 points per game. Moreover, the Cats are dishing out the ball 19.5 times per game, sitting top 10 in the nation in assists.
On the flip side, UK is holding opponents to 53.7 points per game, which ranks top 20 in the nation, on 31.6 percent from the field, which ranks fourth in the nation. In fact, UK has held five of its 10 opponents to under 30.0 percent shooting and eight of its 10 opponents to under 36.0 percent from the field.
Kentucky leads the all-time meetings with Belmont, 5-1, in a series that began in 1976. UK has won the last four straight meetings dating back to 1988.
UK has hosted the last four straight meetings in Memorial Coliseum dating back to 1988, while UK leads BU, 4-1, at home dating back to their first meeting in 1976.
In their most recent matchup, the Wildcats defeated the Bruins, 70-50, on Nov. 29, 2020. That was either team’s largest margin of victory in the series.
Kentucky fell to Belmont, 75-50, in UK’s lone loss in the series on Feb. 21, 1976 at home.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
