Cats Break From Road, Welcome Arkansas to Memorial Coliseum Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Breaking from a two-game road trip against top-15 teams last week, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum on Thursday to play host to Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET.
The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network+ with Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the call. The action can also be seen through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones or tablets. Darren Headrick, in his first year with the program, will be calling the game on the UK Sports Radio Network. Fans in Lexington can hear Headrick’s call on 630AM WLAP. Live stats and free audio will be available online at ukathletics.com.
Senior guard Jessica Hardin is scheduled to sign autographs following the game on the main concourse near the Lexington Avenue entrance. Young fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Kid Zone pregame with games, poster making stations, coloring stations and more.
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| Arkansas at Kentucky | ||
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Thursday, Feb. 15 – 7 p.m. ET |
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TV: SEC Network+ |
Kentucky (12-14, 4-8 Southeastern Conference) is coming off a challenging week that saw UK play a 9 p.m. ET game at No. 15 Missouri before returning to Lexington for one day of prep before traveling to No. 2 Mississippi State for a tipoff with the undefeated Bulldogs last Sunday. The Wildcats fell behind early in both games but battled back to be within one possession of Missouri in the final minutes and cut State’s lead to single digits in the second half. The stretch started a difficult one for the Wildcats, who finish the regular season with four of six games on the road and four of six games against top-15 teams. UK is 0-8 against ranked foes this season and is the only team in the nation to play three of the top four teams in the most recent Associated Press Top 25.
The Wildcats have been led this season by junior guard Maci Morris who is averaging 16.1 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in back-to-back games. Morris scored 15 points against Missouri in the fourth quarter and had 17 points in the second half against Mississippi State. The native of Pineville, Ky., ranks ninth in the nation and second in the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage at 46.7 percent. If her hot shooting continues, she will finish with the best 3-point shooting percentage for a season in program history.
Fellow junior guard Taylor Murray is averaging 12.1 points per game and is second on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game. Murray leads Kentucky in assists with 106 and steals with 61. The native of Odenton, Md., ranks fourth in the league in assist-turnover ratio and third in the league in steals. Murray has scored in double figures in eight of her last nine games, including three 20+ scoring games during that stretch.
Arkansas enters Thursday with a 12-13 overall record, including a 3-9 mark in SEC games. The Razorbacks are 3-8 in true road games this season but each of their last two wins have come on the road in the SEC at Auburn and at Alabama. Arkansas’ first conference win was at home vs. Ole Miss to start league play.
The Razorbacks are averaging 67.9 points per game this season while allowing 72.2 points per game. Arkansas is hitting 37.2 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from 3, attempting 25.4 3-pointers per game and making 7.6 per game. The Razorbacks have a +2.2 turnover margin this season.
Junior guard Malica Monk leads the team in scoring by averaging 16.0 points per game. Monk has hit a team-best 138 field goals and leads the squad in both assists and steals. Graduate senior guard Devin Cosper is averaging 15.3 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game while hitting a team-best 56 3s, while Sophomore point guard Jailyn Mason is the only other player to average double figures this season at 10.6. Kiara Williams is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.1 boards per game.
Kentucky leads the all-time series in games played against Arkansas, 22-13, and have won eight straight games against the Razorbacks. Arkansas has defeated the Wildcats just once since 2005 when they claimed a 78-67 victory in Fayetteville on Jan. 6, 2011. UK has claimed 16 of the last 17 meetings. The Wildcats have won eight straight home games against the Razorbacks as Arkansas has not won in Lexington since a 70-60 victory on Feb. 13, 2003. This is only the fifth time the two teams have met twice during the regular season and the first since 2011.
Dorie Harrison scored a career-high 16 points and four other Wildcats scored in double figures as the Wildcats defeated Arkansas in the season’s first matchup 76-65 on Monday, Jan. 29 at Bud Walton Arena. Harrison set her career high in points for the third straight game, hitting 5-of-14 field goal attempts and all six of her free throw tries. The Wildcats got 12 points apiece from Makenzie Cann and Murray, while Morris added 11 and Amanda Paschal had 10. Freshman KeKe McKinney had six points and a career-high 12 rebounds for the Cats.
The Wildcats held significant advantages in several statistical categories. Kentucky forced 18 Arkansas turnovers, and the Cats turned those into 25 points. Kentucky won the rebounding battle 35-33, while holding a 31-10 advantage in bench points. The Cats also led in points in the paint (36-20) and fast break points (8-2).
UK held a 64-41 lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but the Razorbacks made a strong rally in the fourth quarter outscoring UK 24-12 to cut UK’s lead significantly. Arkansas went 9-of-15 from the field in the final stanza with three 3s while the Wildcats hit just three field goals in the fourth quarter.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, or Kentucky Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
Parking
- Spectator parking is located in all of the E-lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum, all lots are off control three hours prior to tip. Additionally, the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) and the Rose Street Garage (PS#2) are available two hours prior to tip. See the shuttle map and route information diagram at this link for all available women’s basketball spectator parking options.
- The Lexington Parking Authority Transit Center Parking Garage, located between High Street and Vine Street is available for parking after 5 p.m. during the week and all day on the weekends. Additionally, a free shuttle service will pick up by the Transit Center bus stop, near the corner of High Street and Martin Luther King beginning two hours prior to tip. UK Athletics Event Staff will be at the Transit Center Garage Entrance to assist with directing patrons to the correct shuttle pick-up location.
- Parking is prohibited in any R (Residential) lots. Vehicles parking in R lots without a proper permit, along yellow curbs, grass spaces, or other non-specified and unapproved areas may be subject to ticket and/or tow.
- Disabled spectator parking is available with a valid, state issued disabled hang tag in the E-Lot (Employee Lot) North of the Craft Center. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis until full.
Transit Center Parking Garage
- UK women’s basketball fans can avoid traffic and congestion around Memorial Coliseum and park for FREE at the Transit Center Garage – available after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day for weekend games.
- The Transit Center Parking Garage is accessible from Vine Street of High Street.
- Push the green flashing button upon entry, take the yellow token and store it in a safe place. Park in the garage and find the UK Athletics event staff member at the entrance of the garage near Lexington Avenue for a free parking token to use after the game when you exit the garage. Staff will remain on site until 20 minutes after tip.
- Please do not lose your token. If you lose your token, you will be charged an $8 fee for a lost token fee. If you lose your token, visit the pay on foot station located in the seventh floor elevator lobby of the garage and choose “lost token.” You will be charged $8 and given a new token that can be used to exit the garage.
Shuttles
- Shuttles are available beginning two hours prior to tip and pick up and drop off near the South Limestone Garage (Parking Structure #5) (blue route) and near the Transit Center Parking Garage and High Street Lot (green route).
- Shuttles will start back up after halftime to return guests to their parking areas, the shuttle will discontinue service one hour postgame.
- A shuttle map with route information is available here.
Game Day Information
- Doors to Memorial Coliseum open 1.5 hours prior to tip.
- UK Athletics encourages women’s basketball fans to arrive early to ease traffic and parking congestion around the Coliseum.
- For more information on parking around Memorial Coliseum and other game-day questions visit ukathleticsgameday.com.
Kentucky WBB Pre-Arkansas News Conference
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018
Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening Statement …
“Tough game against Arkansas coming tomorrow night. We had a tough battle with them in Fayetteville. They are a tough team to matchup with. We had some good moments in that game but they ended on a really, really good run there and forced us to retake control of the game there at the end. We have got to try to strengthen ourselves for great execution and transition defense is going to be very, very important to try to limit their opportunities in transition. They are really great at driving the ball and scoring inside and outside. Tough game for us tomorrow night and would love for everyone to come out and support out team and the Play4Kay initiative is happening tomorrow night. Coach Yow is such an inspiration figure in this game and I always benefited from spending time with her. She gave a lot to this cause so we would love to support that tomorrow night too.”
On if it is helpful to have already played Arkansas …
“Yeah, absolutely . We will look at what worked and what didn’t work. We were able to get control of the game early. What you have to understand when you are playing a team the second time around, they are certainly not going to let you do what was working in that first game automatically. They are going to be able to make adjustments and I am sure that they will. You can show them where we had some success and Arkansas put together a really nice run there at the end of the game so you can definitely show the areas where they can hurt you. It was a game to learn from and it has certainly been a few weeks since we have played them and I know they have improved and we have been trying to improve. This is going to be a tough game.”
On the team’s 3-point shooting defense …
“You know, we have had some good games and some bad games. The Mississippi State game in the first half was not good. It is hard. You have to be so aware of where their shooters are and they have a bunch of kids that can hit 3-point shots and a bunch of kids that can take them. They love to shoot them. It is definitely part of the game plan. I thought one of the big things we were able to benefit from was the turnovers that they had. We have got to try to find some way to make that happen again in this game. There is still room for important and guarding the 3-point line will be a big one tomorrow night.”
On if Mississippi State game was the first time the full team has been healthy to play …
“I haven’t kept track of that. It has been a long time since we haven’t been dealing with something.”
On the team’s health for Thursday …
“Yeah, we are as well as we can be. We are not full speed but I am not for sure anybody is right now. Everybody but Ogechi is available for the game tomorrow night. Makenzie Cann is a bit under the weather today but she is usually a warrior and a battler and gets back out there. It has been a real devastating flu season in Lexington and I know we have had a few kids miss games for that and other injuries like Maci’s knee and Taylor has battled nagging injuries too and then Tot missed those games with a concussion. So it is just all part of it. I think the team is improving and working hard. Man, they really have a great spirit about them. That was about as hard a week as you could have against two quality teams on the road that are both very physical teams and to come back yesterday with the enthusiasm and energy and effort. I was just really impressed with our team yesterday.”
On the biggest improvement from Maci Morris this season…
“I think now what she is working so hard on is leadership and the basketball stuff comes easy and it is more natural to her. She enjoys working on her offensive skillset and it is obviously very impressive and one of the best in our league. She has worked hard and earned that and she is just a tenacious competitor. The leadership aspect is not easy for her. She had rather they just follow her example and her not have to open her mouth and to be with her at practice the last couple of weeks after we really tried to challenge her and just the absolute necessity it is. How you view yourself may not be what everybody else views. So, what I had to try to implement to her and all the coaches is that you may not view yourself as a leader and you may not think it is important but these young kids are looking. You have their respect just because of the person she is and the player. There is just a level of respect that you garner when you are such an effective player and such a producer. She had to change her mindset and understand how necessary it was, not a good idea how she leads, but how we absolutely have to have her lead and you know to her credit she has really pushed out of her comfort zone. It is hard for her. That is where I am most impressed with her. There are some areas there where when you do something you enjoy, it is not always difficult to give a great effort when you are really enjoying something. So, if I am sitting down trying to solve some math equations for six hours, that would be terrible for me. If someone told me you have to go play 36 holes of golf and you have to be on the golf course for eight hours, I would really enjoy it. It would not be that hard. So, for Maci (Morris), in the leadership aspect, I really respect her understanding what her team needs and putting forth just as much effort on that as the things that she enjoys. She is growing. Her confidence is growing in that area and it I will help her improve as a person. That is where, among all the areas, that she just continues to get better, that is the one I am most proud of.”
On Maci Morris’ coming off screens and fighting through defenses focusing on her .…
“There are some times where she has struggled just trying to find her way there but I think she is really comfortable right now. I don’t get into too many situations when I am thinking that she is uncomfortable. In the Mississippi State game, that’s, if you go back and look at that film and see how much contact that she had to play through, really just was pretty amazing the attention that they were giving her and all of the bumps and different physical contact that she had to play though was really a hard job and she just kept battling and kept going at it. There has been a few times this year, I cannot think of many, that she might have passed up a shot because she missed some type of mental error there, but not many. I think she has really proved that she has been able to rise to the challenge and she has had a fantastic year on the offensive end. It is hard when the opponent knows that you know that you need that player to produce and she still produces and they are devising every way that they can to stop her and she still produces and that is impressive. That is what she is doing.”
