Dec. 21, 2001
Lexington, Ky. – After a thrilling, 72-53, thrashing of intrastate rival Louisville on Wednesday, the Kentucky women’s basketball team looks to continue its winning ways when it faces Evansville on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. The game marks the first-ever meeting between the schools, men or women, on the hardwood.
“We can’t rest on what we did against Louisville on Wednesday,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “We have to come out with the same intensity and attitude on Saturday. Evansville is a good team with four seniors in the starting lineup. They will come to Lexington ready to play us.”
Sophomore SeSe Helm continues to lead the team in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. She charted her ninth straight game with double digits scoring 14 points against U of L.
Junior point guard Rita Adams, the Cats’ second-leading scorer with 11.9 ppg, leads the Southeastern Conference in steals and is among the nation’s leaders in steals (third), assists (t-27th), and field goal percentage (26th).
Freshman Sara Potts had another breakout game on Wednesday, tying her career-high 15 points and three-pointers made (four) against the Cards. She is the Cats’ third leading scorer with 10.0 points per game. She ranks fourth in the SEC in three-pointers made with 16.
Senior forward LaTonya McDole jumped to No. 19 on UK’s all-time scoring list after inking 15 points against Louisville. She also grabbed five steals in the win for a total of 199 career-steals. She needs only one more to join UK greats Valerie Still and Leslie Nichols as the three players in school history who have recorded 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals in a career.
Evansville, 4-5, enters the game looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Purple Aces fell, 76-74, on Dec. 12 to Austin Peay and suffered a 63-57 setback on Dec. 17 against Tennessee Tech.
Senior forward Shyla McKibbon-Puelston leads four Aces in double-digit scoring. She averages 14.4 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds. Senior guard Shinko Ono, of Nagasaki, Japan follows in the scoring column with 11.4 ppg. She ranks among the Missouri Valley Conference’s all-time leaders in three-point accuracy, currently shooting 40 percent (20-of-50) from behind the arc.
Coach Tricia Cullop is in her second season at EU. The 30-year-old former Purdue letterwinner is the youngest head coach in the NCAA. She compiled a 13-15 record last season, setting a school record for victories by a first-year head coach.
