No. 13 Kentucky Hosts Grambling State Tuesday Night in Memorial Coliseum
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After scoring a season high in points in its last outing, the No. 13 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team looks for more of the same Tuesday night when it plays host to Grambling State at 7 ET inside Memorial Coliseum. The game continues a seven-game home stretch for the Wildcats, who will also host Austin Peay on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
Single-game tickets are $10 (all ages) in reserved seating areas, while general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children aged 5 and under do not require a ticket in general admission areas. Purchasing season tickets offers the best option and price savings for fans. Season tickets are available in upper-level reserved chairbacks (sections AA-JJ), lower-level reserved bleachers (sections R-Z) or general admission bleachers (sections RR-ZZ) for $69 per ticket.
The game vs. Grambling State will be streamed on 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 will have the call on the UK Sports Network on 630AM WLAP in Lexington. Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Young fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Kid Zone pregame with games, poster making stations, coloring stations and more. Sophomore guard Blair Green from Harlan County, Kentucky is scheduled to sign autographs on the concourse following the game.
Spectator parking is located in all E-lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum and are off control 3 hours prior to tip. Additionally, the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) and the Rose Street Garage (PS#2) are available 2 hours prior to tip. The Bill Gatton Student Center is available as a pay-to-park option. Availability is based on the Gatton Student Center Event Schedule.
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 issues disabled hangtag in the E lot North of the Craft Center. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis until full.
Shuttles are available beginning 2 hours prior to tip off and pick up and drop off near the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) and the High Street Lot. Shuttles will start back up after halftime to return guests to their parking areas, the shuttle will discontinue service 1-hour post-game.
Kentucky (5-0) is coming off its best offensive performance of the season last Thursday when it took down Morehead State, 79-54. The Wildcats scored 71 points in the first three quarters of the game and entered the fourth quarter hitting nearly 50 percent from the field. Overall, UK hit a season-best 11 3-pointers in the game while also tying a season-high with 18 assists. The Wildcats really took advantage of the turnover margin in the game, forcing 25 miscues while only committing six turnovers. UK ranks top-20 nationally in turnover margin and has forced every opponent this season into at least 20 turnovers.
Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard leads Kentucky in scoring and rebounding this season averaging 16.8 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. The native of Cleveland, Tennessee has scored in double figures in every game but one this season and is coming off a 24-point performance against Morehead State where she hit five 3s in just 21 minutes of play. Senior guard Sabrina Haines has been impressive for Kentucky in the early going, averaging 11.6 points per game with 4.8 rebounds per game. Haines is currently top in the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage, hitting 11-of-22 from long range. Juniors Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney are having strong seasons with Wyatt averaging 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while McKinney ranks top-20 nationally with 13 blocks and is adding 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 points per game. Senior guard Jaida Roper is playing 25 minutes per game and has 17 assists with six steals and 5.8 points per game.
Grambling State enters Tuesday’s game with a 1-4 record having played some tough competition already this season. The Tigers started the season with a 65-72 loss vs. Florida at home before falling at Baylor (120-46) and at Georgia Tech (89-42). GSU picked up its lone win of the season at home vs. Centenary (La.) 106-42. In its last outing, GSU fell to UT Arlington, 88-54 at home. The Tigers shot 27.9 percent from the field with 19 turnovers. Grambling State is in its fourth season under head coach Freddie Murray, who was an assistant coach in the program prior. Last season, Grambling State won 16 games while the 2017-18 squad won the SWAC Tournament championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are averaging 62.9 points per game this season, hitting 37 percent from the field and 35 percent from long range. Grambling State is averaging 19.6 turnovers per game and is being outrebounded this year by 15.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard Justice Coleman is averaging 14.8 points per game this season while sophomore guard Candice Parramore and junior guard Brandi Washington are averaging 12.8 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Washington leads the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Junior guard Ariel Williams has a team-best 13 assists this season.
This is the second all-time meeting in women’s basketball between Kentucky and Grambling State. In the first meeting, Kentucky scored 60 first-half points, forcing 34 turnovers and scoring 46 points off those miscues to earn a 109-46 win against the Tigers in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 29, 2013. UK had six players in double figures with Bria Goss leading the way with 23 points. The Wildcats were 38-of-80 from the field in the game while GSU went 15-of-52. Kentucky holds a 15-0 all-time record against teams from the current alignment of the SWAC.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
