Kentucky Hosts No. 2 Mississippi State for Senior Day Sunday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky senior center Alyssa Rice and redshirt senior guard Jessica Hardin will be honored during Sunday’s Senior Day pregame ceremonies for their hard work and dedication to the UK program as the Wildcats conclude the regular season at Noon ET against No. 2 Mississippi State inside Memorial Coliseum. Senior Day ceremonies will being approx. 20 minutes prior to tip.
The game will be broadcast live on the ESPNU with Beth Mowins, Rebecca Lobo and Andy Landers 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.
Sunday’s game will be a White Out against the Bulldogs are fans are encouraged to wear white while white rally towels will be passed out upon entry. Single-game tickets are $9 (all ages) in reserved seating areas and general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children ages five and under do not require a ticket in general admission areas. Tickets are available at the Rupp Arena Box Office or online through Ticketmaster.com.
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| Kentucky vs. No. 2 Mississippi State | ||
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Sunday, Feb. 25 – Noon ET |
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TV: ESPNU |
Kentucky (14-15, 6-9) is coming off a 79-71 victory at Ole Miss on Thursday, getting another 20-point performance by junior guard Maci Morris. The strong showing marked her fifth straight game she has poured in 20 or more points, becoming the first UK player since the 1995-96 season to accomplish the feat and only the second player in program history to score 20 or more in five straight Southeastern Conference games. She is the only player in the league this season to score five straight 20+ scoring games in league play. The native of Pineville, Ky., leads UK in scoring by averaging 17.0 points per game while hitting at team-best 66 3-pointers. She is hitting 46.5 percent from long range this season, which ranks top 10 nationally.
Kentucky is 32-10 all-time in regular-season home finales (1974-75 season not included). The Cats have won 12 of their last 14 games on Senior Day, including eight straight. Makenzie Cann, listed as a senior on the roster, still has a year of eligibility remaining. She is a senior academically.
Kentucky leads the all-time series in games played against Mississippi State 27-18, including a 12-8 advantage in games played in Lexington. The Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats already this season, breaking a 11-game winning streak in the series for the Wildcats. Three of the last six meetings in the series have gone to overtime, including the last meeting in Lexington where the Wildcats defeated the third-ranked Bulldogs 78-75 inside Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 23, 2017. The Bulldogs last win in the series was Jan. 18, 2009 in Lexington when they earned a 52-45 victory. Matthew Mitchell is 12-2 against Miss. State during his tenure at Kentucky and 12-3 overall as a head coach against his alma mater.
Mississippi State defeated top-20 ranked Texas A&M last Sunday in Starkville, 76-55, to set a new school record conference victories in a season, while claiming outright the program’s first-ever regular-season SEC championship in any women’s sport. The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 29-0 record, including a 15-0 mark in SEC play.
The Bulldogs are coming off an 82-61 victory over Auburn on Thursday after outscoring the Tigers 28-15 in the first quarter to take control of the game. Three Bulldogs had 16 points in the game with Teaira McCowan scoring 16 with 18 rebounds while Roshunda Johnson hit four 3s en route to 16 points. Victoria Vivians added seven rebounds to her 16-point performance. Morgan William scored 13 points in just 19 minutes of action. MSU shot 47.3 percent from the field in the game while the Tigers shot 45 percent. Vivians is averaging a team-best 19.7 points per game, adding 5.9 rebounds per game. McCowan is averaging a double-double at 18.7 ppg/13.3 rpg, while Johnson has hit 59 3-pointers and is averaging 11.8 points per game. Clair Schaefer leads the team with 77 made 3s averaging 9.7 points per game.
Mississippi State jumped out to 22-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back defeating the Wildcats for the first time in 12 tries, 74-55, on Sunday, Feb. 11 in Starkville, Miss., earlier this season. The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 21-16 in the third quarter and had the Bulldog advantage trimmed to nine with three minutes to go in the third quarter. MSU pulled away by outscoring UK 18-12 in the fourth quarter.
UK shot just 36.5 percent from the field while the Bulldogs shot 41 percent, including hitting nine 3-pointers. MSU forced UK into 19 turnovers and scored 23 points off those miscues, while also holding a 30-16 advantage in points in the paint. McCowan scored 21 points with 16 rebounds, while Vivians had 23 points with seven rebounds and went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Cats were led by Morris, who had 21 points and four rebounds. Dorie Harrison added eight points and nine rebounds.
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-Mississippi State News Conference
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Friday, Feb. 23, 2018
Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening Statement …
“Some really special people we are honoring on Senior Day with two players and two of our managers being honored as well, they have been incredible support to our team. So some special folks that have given a lot to the program. Jessica Hardin is really special to us, it if had not been for some really unusual circumstances our paths would not have crossed and I sure am happy that our paths did end up crossing because she has been an outstanding person that we will now count as an alum to the program. Her contribution has been outstanding in so many ways. I am just so proud of her perseverance this year. She has been through a lot of physical ailments and difficulties but just hung there and continues to hang in there and will be able to run out there on Senior Day, that is exciting for her. Alyssa Rice, we really connected with her early in the recruiting process. She was a person that I really was hoping she would come to Kentucky and when she decided to come here it was a great day for us and she has not disappointed. She has had a great career and gotten better as a basketball player from the day she walked in until the day she departed. She has given so much to us on the court and is always there to sacrifice for whatever we needed. She became a really tough rebounder and took a charge in the game last night that we really needed. She is just always there to help others. Off the court, she is an incredible student, just an outstanding student. I have had to get on to her a couple of times because she made a few Bs in college and that was just not very good on her part, but that is one of just a few times she has fell short. She is going to graduate with an incredible GPA. She has a heart for service and heart for leadership. I am really proud of those two players and we are going to prepare like crazy to be ready to try to earn a victory, which will be a great way to send those two out.”
On the team’s success on Senior Day …
“We will just address that through preparation and try to win like we do every game. I will ask them for their very best and a supreme effort on Senior Day, like I always do. That is really the only thing that I ever do that might be any different is I do make that day about those seniors and just try to put everybody in their shoes. How would you want people competing for you on that day when you are being honored. It is so special and we do such a great job here at Kentucky of the tradition of Senior Day. So I just ask them for their very best. There are lessons that we learned in the first game and we will try to correct those mistakes. We gave up 23 points off of turnovers. Really, that is what got us behind the eight ball of not being competitive in the game as far as the score. I thought that we fought hard and we really have got to match their physicality. For whatever reason, it is a game in Starkville that was really rough and we didn’t adjust very well to it. We have to come out on our tip toes ready. If the game is going to be called in a manner where it is really, really rough, you have to play through that and adjust to how that is being called that day. So we have to be ready to go, but that is what I love about this team. They love Ricey and they love Jess and this team is really together and I know they will come with a supreme effort on Sunday.”
On Taylor Murray’s play last night …
“I just think, for Taylor, a lot of it is just mental and emotional. She wants to win so badly and at South Carolina a couple of plays go the way she didn’t want them to go and it just deflated her. So last night, she admitted to it and she faced up to it and owned up to it. She doesn’t shy away from it, doesn’t walk away from it, but knew she needed to do better. Last night, she was very aggressive and got her eyes and her shoulders squared to the basket last night. Now she can make some plays, now she can score, instead of getting east and west of the sideline and kicking before the plays develops and getting the ball out of her hands. We need the ball in her hands. We need the ball in her hands going to the basket, drawing defenders and kicking it out. Beautiful game last night with 10 assists and got her hands on the basketball defensively. So much for her is mindset and staying strong and staying strong and stable throughout the game and don’t let one bad play or one play that you didn’t figure out deflate you. Just persist and go back and preserver and she did that so well last night.”
On his emotions on Senior Day …
“It has been a happy day for me because of the quality of people that have come through here. What we are trying to do and what we are intentional about – it is very important – is we are trying to develop an experience for them that has some depth to it and value that they can draw upon after they leave here. I have never gotten terribly sad because it is not goodbye at all. These players and there are so many of them, they are always connected to the program. I just hear from so many of them saying, ‘Listen, I am over here in the middle of nowhere. I cannot speak the language but the things that I have learned are seeing my through or I have saved enough money to get this done.’ Whatever it may be. You still have those connections with the players. I have always tried to make Senior Day about them and not about me. I try to just be happy and celebrate their success. There is a tinge of that sadness present. Senior Day is not the end of the season, but it is coming to an end and it makes you reflect. It will be weird not having Alyssa or Jess around, just like it is every year. Strange to think about Makayla Epps not being here. People said it felt like she was here forever, and it did feel like that, you are just with these kids day in and day out for such a long time. I have so much hope for their future that it is never a day I am overcome with sadness because I think about the future. These two players, I am just telling you, these two have a really, really bright future ahead.”
Senior Center Alyssa Rice
On her commitment to the program …
“For me it was a very personal decision. I didn’t think it was a hard decision for me because I knew Kentucky was where I wanted to be. I knew this was a place that I had faith in. I had faith in the coaching and the program and the University. The group that stayed, we were really tight knit and decided together that this was something we wanted to carry out and continue on in the Kentucky program. It was just a place that I felt was the best fit for me. I couldn’t see myself anyplace else.”
On being a perfectionist …
“I would definitely agree that I am a perfectionist. I think it can be both a strength and a weakness sometimes. Obviously, with any athlete or someone in their profession, they want to be great at what they do. That is definitely a positive to have that perfectionism but also sometimes you can overthink things and make them more complicated than they have to be. That is something I have suffered from as well. I just think that over the course of my career I try to make it more of a strength than a weakness and with that comes repetition and building the confidence that comes along with that to make it less than a weakness and more of a strength.”
On being a more vocal leader …
“He has been encouraging us leaders to be a vocal voice this year and not leave it up to the coaches when things are going south for them to have to step in but for us to step in before the coaches have to. That is something that we have really been focused on. That particular practice it was probably a drill that was not going right and we could do better and I felt the need to step in before the coaches as a leader and be the voice and tell them that we need to step up and do better and get corrected what needed to be corrected.”
On taking pride in leading the young team …
“I agree with Jess on that. Being able to continue to build upon the Kentucky legacy was very important and being able to display to them what it means to be a Kentucky Wildcat. Just making sure they understand what position they are in and the platform that they have been given. Being able to be a leader and display to them what it means was very important this year.”
On the team’s goals this season …
“For this team, I think just getting the most out of each and every one of us and reaching our full potential as a team. Where that takes us who knows, but I think each year, especially with this team being so young, is just reaching the potential and seeing what our team has the potential to be at our maximum.”
On her plans after college …
“I plan to attend graduate school and get a master’s degree in sports administration or sports leadership and hopefully go into the administrative side of basketball like a director of operations or SWA.”
Senior Guard Jessica Hardin
On getting to play for Kentucky as a Kentucky kid …
“Yeah, it has been a great opportunity. I am just blessed that this opportunity arose for me. I am going to look back and have great times and remember all the memories I have made here at Kentucky. I am going to remember all these wonderful girls that I have met here. The experience is everything that I had hoped it would be. It has just been great.”
On her injuries and how she has had to contribute in different ways …
“Yeah, I have definitely been injured this year in different ways but I have just had to be more vocal because whenever I first came here to Kentucky I was not vocal at all and just trying to figure out your role coming straight in was hard. With last year, I had a lot of confidence with the team and getting to know everybody. I just try to be supportive of the team and cheer everybody on and be a good spirit throughout the whole process.”
On taking pride in leading the young team …
“I think with the freshman coming in it was definitely good for us to give them a foundation of what they need to progress further. I am really glad that we were here to experience it with them their first year as freshmen and hopefully we taught them some things that will help them grow and progress and help our program for years to come.”
On the team’s goals this season …
“I agree with Lys on that too. I think that as we go forward the experience is really helping us. We have built this entire season and we just keep building. Who knows who far we will make it, but the fact that we keep building off of what we were before it is really good and that will just keep happening for next year as well.”
On her plans after college …
“I am currently looking for jobs. I am on the job search. I don’t know if I want to do grad school, that is definitely a potential. I could possibly do grad school or end up with a career after this. I am in the pursuit of a job.”
