The Wildcats are looking to head into conference play on a winning note.
The Kentucky women?s basketball team will play host to High Point, a member of the Big South Conference, on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in their final non-conference game of the season at Memorial Coliseum. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the first 500 fans will receive a UK mouse pad.
The Wildcats (7-5) look to bounce back from a 60-52 loss to Cincinnati on Friday. Prior to the loss, UK had won three straight, including an 82-56 victory over Austin Peay in front of a season-high 6,712 fans at Memorial. Junior Sara Potts recorded her second double-double of the season with a career-high tying 21 points and 11 rebounds vs. the Lady Govs while reserve guard Danyelle Payne posted impressive numbers in both games, charting a career-high 15 and 18 points, respectively.
?The Cincinnati game was disappointing but we?ve some real good practices this week,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?We?ve been working on rebounding and hopefully we?ll do a much better job than we did in our last game.?
UK and High Point meet for the first time in school history. UK is 5-1 vs. teams from High Point?s Big South Conference.
UK men?s basketball coach Tubby Smith is a graduate of High Point. He attended the school, located in High Point, N.C., from 1969-73 where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education. He was an all-conference performer as a senior for the Panthers and is currently fifth on the school?s 1,000 point list with 1,589 points.
High Point is 4-6 on the season and has lost four straight. Its last win was exactly a month ago over East Tennessee State on Dec. 6, 53-51.
Sophomore Katie O?Dell leads three Panthers in double-digit scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game. She also is down a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior Charlena Martin is the team?s second leading scorer with 13.1 ppg while freshman Candyce Sellars is third with 11.3 ppg.
The Panthers are led by Tooey Loy who has charted a 35-33 record in three seasons at High point.
High Point is UK?s final non-conference opponent. Following the game, the Cats will embark on a stretch of conference games vs. three straight nationally-ranked programs: No. 23 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Georgia and No. 17 LSU.