The Kentucky women?s basketball team closes out a four-game homestand Thursday when it plays host to Southern in its third game in five days. It also will mark UK?s final home game before the new year. Tip-off in Memorial Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. EST and 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).
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.
Kentucky (7-3) is coming off an 84-37 win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday and the Wildcats will be looking for their fourth consecutive win when they face the Jaguars. Junior center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) led a strong inside presence for the Cats against MVSU with a game-high 21 points, while freshman forward Lydia Watkins (Hopkinsville, Ky.) brought down 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jenny Pfeiffer (North Vernon, Ind.) added 15 points. She has combined for 30 points and seven three-pointers in her last two games.
Junior guard Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) leads three Wildcats scoring in double figures with 13.1 ppg. Elliott and sophomore point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) follow with 12.6 and 10.9 ppg, respectively. Ormerod is currently on a streak of 16 made free-throws. Senior forward/center Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.) leads the team in rebounding with 8.9 rpg, while Elliott is second with 8.6 rpg.
Thursday?s game marks the first-ever meeting between Kentucky and Southern University (Baton Rouge, La.). The Wildcats are 3-0 against members of Southern?s Southwestern Athletic Conference. UK has faced Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Mississippi Valley State in its three previous games.
Southern is 0-7 on the season having dropped a 61-46 decision in its first home game of the year against South Alabama on Dec. 9. Junior center Frederika Lewis leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.3 ppg with a team-high 11 blocks on the year. Junior forward Krystal Huggins is the squad?s leading rebounder with 5.5 rpg.
