November 8, 1998

The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team defeated Slovakia, 79-45, in its first exhibition game of the year in Memorial Coliseum. Junior guard Tiffany Wait led all scorers with 17 points while senior Jaye Barnes added 11. Newcomer Shantia Owens grabbed a game-high nine rebounds for the Wildcats and scored eight points and sophomore Laura Meadows dished out five assists and recorded three blocks. “I thought we did a lot of good things today and I felt we got some good looks at our newcomers,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “I was also pleased with our intensity on defense. We’ve just got to come out game in and game out and play hard like that, especially in this conference.” UK’s defense held the Slovakians to only 11 baskets during the game and forced 39 turnovers and recorded 16 steals. The Wildcats scored 46 points off Slovakia’s turnovers.

Kentucky will play host to its second exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. versus Mississippi AAU in Memorial Coliseum. Admission is free.