After traveling coast-to-coast and nearly 6,000 miles last week, No. 24 Kentucky returns to the friendly confines of Memorial Coliseum it plays host to Detroit Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be carried live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with Neil Price.
Single-game general admission tickets are available for $5 adults/$2 senior citizens and children 6-18. Ages five and under are admitted free. UK students, faculty and staff also are admitted free with valid identification based on availability. For ticket information, log on to ukathletics.com or call the UK ticket office at 859-257-1818 or 1-800-928-CATS (2287).
The Wildcats (3-2) are coming off a third-place finish in the fourth-annual odwalla Classic over Thanksgiving weekend after falling to eventual champions Delaware, 86-70, in the first round. They rebounded with a 78-59 win over Southern Illinois for third place. Sarah Elliott led the way for the Wildcats, registering back-to-back double-doubles and being named to the all-tournament team. Samantha Mahoney scored in double-digits both nights with 16 points against the Blue Hens and a season-high 17 against the Salukis. Jenny Pfeiffer had 10 and 11 points, respectively, and moved into a tie for third-place all-time on UK’s career three-pointers made list.
?We?re glad to be back home,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?We?ve been on a grueling road trip, counting the Norfolk trip. We?re looking forward to getting out on the floor against Detroit. They?ve played four games, and are 1-3, but they?re a real scrappy, athletic team. They have good quickness.?
Detroit (1-3), members of the Horizon League, looks to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to in-state rivals Western Michigan and Michigan last week. The Titans? lone win came against Buffalo on Nov. 14, 73-61.
Juniors Joyce Massey and Kandace Evans lead the Titans in scoring, averaging 14.5 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Massey, a transfer from UMass, also is the leader in rebounding, averaging 8.3 boards per game. Detroit has only one senior in Lauren Yurgens, and she will miss the first half of the season while recovering from a hip injury.
This is the eighth all-time and second consecutive meeting between Kentucky and Detroit. The Wildcats traveled to the Motor City last year and came away with a 74-65 win. UK leads the series 7-0, including a 4-0 advantage when playing in Lexington.
Fans are encouraged to park in Parking Structure 5 located next to Kennedy?s Bookstore on Limestone Avenue. Parking within Parking Structure 5 will be available free of charge. A shuttle bus service also will be provided and begins one hour prior to game time until one hour after the game. Additional game day parking is available in the E lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum including the Martin Luther King Parking Lot and the Student Center Parking Lot. .
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – NOV. 28
Head Coach Mickie DeMoss
On Detroit?
?We?re glad to be back home. We?ve been on a grueling road trip, counting the Norfolk trip. East coast to the west coast and then back. I know I?m glad to be back, and I?m sure the players are too. We?re looking forward to getting out on the floor against Detroit. They?ve played four games, and are 1-3, but they?re a real scrappy, athletic team. They have good quickness. We?ve been preparing for them, and I?m sure we?ll be ready for them.?
On the team playing more consistently?
?I think that we have played some very quality opponents. I think they?ve had more to do with it (than UK being up and down). In the Indiana game, we just shot miserably in the second half. Delaware is an excellent basketball team. They?ve got two players that could play for anyone in this league. They were on fire the night we played them. I felt like we played well at Old Dominion. We played well against Southern Illinois. I think that as the year goes on we will get more consistent. We?ve played five games, so it?s still early.?
On the possibility of the players looking ahead to Louisville?
?I think that we have been trying to recover from our trip. We had a pretty tough practice yesterday. We?ve been pretty good about focusing and taking it one game at a time. I haven?t had to mention anything about staying focused.?
On the team getting off to a slow start this season?
?I thought we came out very confident against Southern Illinois after a loss. We had a really short turnaround out there (in San Francisco). I think they realize that the competition is tougher this year. We?re playing a tougher schedule. Are they happy that we have two losses? No. Are those two games that we could have won? Yes. I think they do realize that the two teams that beat us are quality teams. We?re just working to get better.?
On Sarah Elliott?s two double-doubles in the odwalla Classic?
?I think a lot of it depends on who we play. She gets more looks in same games than she does in others. Against Delaware, they didn?t have great size. We were able to throw over the top of their zone. In the second half, they adjusted to that and took some of those lobs away from us. They started double-teaming her a little bit more. When a player has a great game like she did against Delaware that obviously helps your confident level. She came out against Southern Illinois and continued to play confidently. We?re really pleased with the way she?s been rebounding ball. That?s been an area that we?ve been emphasizing to her and she?s stepped up.?
On Sarah Elliott?s confidence this season?
?She has had more confidence over the last two weeks. I think starting out the season she had to push herself to get to the next level. I think going from the sophomore year to the junior year, you have to push to get to that next level. I think that she has started to realize that she is a junior and that she needs to start playing like a junior. She?s taken on more responsibility.?
