In its first nationally-televised game on CBS in school history, the Kentucky women?s basketball team puts its eight-game winning streak on the line when it faces No. 7/8 Ohio State in a Southeastern Conference/Big Ten showdown Saturday, Jan. 6 in Columbus, Ohio. Tip off is slated for Noon EST in the Value City Arena as the game will be carried live on CBS (TV) and the Big Blue Sports Network (Neil Price).
Tickets are available by contacting the Ohio State ticket office at 1-800-GO-BUCKS.
Although the schools are less than 200 miles apart, the border rivals have not met in nine years. The Buckeyes lead the series 12-10 and hold a 6-4 advantage in Columbus. However, UK has won the last two meetings, including a 92-84 overtime thriller in the last meeting on Nov. 19, 1998. It was the first women?s game played in the newly built Value City Arena.
?Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country and we?ll have our work cut out for us,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss. ?Jessica Davenport also is one of the best interior players in the country right now and she has a great supporting cast around her. This is a great opportunity for our program to be televised nationally on CBS and we are excited about the game.?
The Wildcats, who meet the Buckeyes in their third game in five days, are coming off a 59-55 win over South Carolina in their SEC opener on Thursday. Juniors Samantha Mahoney (Detroit) and Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) led the team in scoring with 19 and 16 points, respectively while Jennifer Humphrey (Memphis, Tenn.) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Kentucky?s balanced attack is led by Elliott who leads four UK players in double-digit scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game. Mahoney follows closely behind with 13.1 ppg while sophomore point guard Carly Ormerod and senior guard Jenny Pfeiffer add 10.2 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. Humphrey has been a dominating force on the boards as she leads UK and ranks third in the SEC in rebounding with 9.7 per game. She has pulled down double-figure rebounds nine times this season, including four consecutive.
Ohio State is 12-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes extended their winning streak to five after defeating Minnesota on Thursday, 75-62. Two-time defending Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American Jessica Davenport had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the winning effort. The senior center has posted 40 career double-doubles.
Davenport leads the team and the Big Ten in scoring (19.7), rebounding (10.2) and field goal percentage (69.9). She also has swatted a team-high 43 blocks. Senior point guard Brandie Hoskins follows with 16.2 points and ranks first in assists with 57. Junior Marscilla Packer is third in scoring (11.9) and is Ohio State’s main scoring threat from the three-point line having hit 27-of-66 (.409).
Former Vanderbilt head coach Jim Foster is in his 29th overall, his fifth season at OSU.
UK?s overall eight-game winning streak is the fourth-longest in school history. A UK win would tie for third on the all-time list and give the Cats their longest streak since the 1989-90 team won nine in a row.
The Buckeyes have won 21-straight at home. They are 9-0 this season. Dating back to the 2004-05 season, Ohio State has won 36 of its last 37 games at home. The Buckeyes? last lost came at the hands of No. 3/3 LSU on Dec. 15, 2005.
