It?s the final game for Kentucky women?s basketball before Christmas break and the Wildcats are looking to keep their win streak alive when they take on intrastate rival Western Kentucky on Monday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky. at the E.A. Diddle Arena.
Bowling Green native SeSe Helm will make her final trip to face her hometown school. Helm, the Cats leading scorer and rebounder, is 0-2 vs. WKU despite averaging 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games against the Lady Toppers.
?It?s always been an exciting game for me, playing in front of my friends and family members in my hometown,? Helm said. ?But we haven?t beaten them in my four years and no matter how many points I have, that is what matters. They are a great team again this season and it will be a tough game. It?s a great atmosphere and we?ll have to be ready.?
Helm, a four-year standout out at Warren Central High School where she compiled 3,114 points and 1,486 rebounds, is coming off a her fifth season and 13th career double-double in UK?s last game vs. Miami. Helm scored 21 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to help the Wildcats (5-4) rally from an 11-point second-half deficit and defeat the RedHawks 64-58.
Western (3-5) is coming off a 73-64 win over Ole Miss on Thursday. The win vs. the Rebels snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lady Toppers. WKU fell to Arkansas on Dec. 3, 67-65, and followed that game with back-to-back losses against Louisville (76-75) and Clemson (87-75).
The intrastate battle between Kentucky and Western tips off for the 27th time in school history. UK leads the all-time series 14-12 but has lost two straight against the Lady Toppers. UK?s last win in the series was a 75-48 decision on Dec. 1, 1999 in Lexington. WKU holds a slight 6-5 advantage against UK when the game is played in Bowling Green.
Helm leads Kentucky in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She has totaled 1,253 career points and ranks 10th on the all-time scoring list. She need 87 more points to move ahead of Belitta Croley (1,339) at No. 9. Potts is the team?s second leading scorer with 13.7 points while Pfeiffer averages 11.0 points per game.
