Feb. 28, 2003
Lexington, Ky. – Sunday marks the final home game for lone senior Rita Adams when the Kentucky women’s basketball team plays host to third-ranked Tennessee on Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be televised live on Comcast.
Adams, who leads the Wildcats in scoring, steals, assists and blocks, has played in all but two games in her four-year career at Kentucky. She will end her senior season etched in UK’s record book in the top 10 in assists, steals and blocks. Adams will graduate in May with a degree in family and individual studies and after graduation hopes to continue her playing career in the WNBA.
“It’s hard to believe it’s already been four years and Rita is playing her final home game,” UK Coach Bernadette Mattox said. “Rita will really be missed next season and I look forward to seeing the things Rita accomplishes after she leaves UK. She is an outstanding athlete and most importantly, an outstanding individual.”
The Wildcats (11-14, 4-9 SEC) hope to send Adams out on a winning note and bounce back from a 97-51 drubbing by 16th-ranked South Carolina on Thursday. Reserve forward Shambrica Jones led UK with 14 points followed by SeSe Helm’s 11 points.
UT (25-3, 13-0 SEC) clinched its sixth straight SEC regular season title with a 91-71 win over Vanderbilt on Thursday. The Lady Vols are riding a 16-game win streak with their last loss coming on Jan. 4 versus top-ranked Connecticut. UT also holds a 21-game win streak over the Cats, including a nine-game win streak in games played in Lexington. UK’s last win over the Lady Vols was a 96-82 victory in Lexington on Jan. 24, 1986.
Adams continues to lead four Wildcats in double-digit scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game. Sara Potts, who broke the record for three-pointers made in a season with 66, follows with 12.0 ppg while Helm and Jenny Pfeiffer, still out with a hand injury, average 10.6 and 10.3 ppg, respectively.
The Lady Vols are led by senior forward Gwen Jackson’s 15.9 points per game. Senior Kara Lawson is UT’s second-leading scorer with 13.4 ppg.
Coach Pat Summitt, in her 29th season at UT, has compiled an overall record of 813-161 along with six NCAA titles, 22 regular season SEC titles and 20 SEC Tournament titles. She is 37-5 against Kentucky.
This is the regular season finale for both teams before heading to the SEC Tournament in Little Rock, Ark., March 6-9. The Cats looked to be locked in the ninth seed position which means they will play the opening game on Thursday, March 6 at 1 p.m. ET against eighth-seeded Auburn. The winner will face top-seeded Tennessee on Friday, March 7 at 1 p.m. ET.
