KENTUCKY WILDCATS (3-3, 0-0 SEC)
vs. WKU LADY TOPPERS (5-2, 0-0 SUN BELT)
Friday, Nov. 30 ? 7 p.m. EST
Lexington, Ky. ?
TV: BBSN/FSN-S
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After a three-year absence, Kentucky women?s basketball renews its rivalry with instate foe Western Kentucky University when the Wildcats meet the Lady Toppers Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. ET in Rupp Arena. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio/TV) and FSN South (TV).
Single-game general admission tickets are available for purchase $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 teams last meet on Dec. 22, 2003 with UK taking a 76-63 decision in Bowling Green, Ky. The Cats haven?t met WKU in Lexington since 2002 and have never met the Lady Toppers in Rupp Arena.
?Tomorrow is a very exciting game for us,? UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. ?It is a game we need to come out and play very well in. Western Kentucky is a team that is extremely talented. It will be a good test for us. We are excited to be renewing an old rivalry. We think it will be a good game and we are looking forward to playing in it.?
The game will pit former high school teammates, Wildcat junior point guard Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.) and WKU senior forward Crystal Kelly, against one another for the first time in their collegiate careers. Both former Kentucky Miss Basketball honorees attended Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville where they helped lead the Valkyries to three consecutive state championships.
?I have been looking forward to this game since I saw the schedule,? Ormerod said. ?We have kept in touch since high school with text messaging and we have talked a couple of times. This will be the first time that we have played against each other or have ever seen each other play in college. Before the game I?m sure there will be smiles and jokes, but once the game starts we won?t be too good of friends. The game against Western is a huge game for our program and for me. It is a good rivalry and I?m excited to have it back.??
Kentucky (3-3) is coming off a seventh-place finish in the 29th Annual Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Wildcats fell to first-time opponent Minnesota (92-80) in the first round and No. 21/22 Texas in the second round of the consolation bracket (70-62). UK defeated Lipscomb (76-55) for seventh-place in the eight-team tournament.
Senior Samantha Mahoney (Detroit), who leads UK and ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 16.2 ppg, extended her double-figure scoring streak to five consecutive games, recording 12 points against Lipscomb. Senior center Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.) follows Mahoney in the scoring column with 13.5 ppg. She also pulls down a team-high 7.8 rebounds and shoots 57.1 percent from the floor, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Freshman sharp-shooter Carly Morrow (Chattanooga, Tenn.) is UK?s third-leading scorer with 7.8 ppg. She is shooting an impressive 44.8 percent from the three-point line, a mark that ranks second in the SEC.
Western Kentucky University boasts a 5-2 overall record after defeating Morehead State in its last game, 64-41. Senior forward Crystal Kelly, the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year, leads WKU in scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Kenzie Rich follows Kelly in the scoring column with 11.9 ppg.
This will be the 28th meeting against WKU since UK became a varsity sport in 1974-75. The Wildcats played WKU three times prior to the ?74-75 season and own a 2-1 record in those contests (1922-23, 1923-24 and 1973-74). UK is 9-6 all-time against the Lady Toppers in Lexington.
UK is 19-8 all-time in Rupp Arena and the WKU game will mark the first of five games in the downtown venue this season.
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – NOV. 29
Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening Statement?
?First of all, I want to give an update on our injuries. Eleia Roddy is going to have her right knee scoped tomorrow to have a loose body removed. It is a fairly simple procedure as far as operations go. It should put her out an additional four weeks. Carly Omerod has an inflammation of a floating bone on her big toe. It is very sore and she has not been able to practice this week and she has been in a boot. She will not practice today and will give it a go tomorrow and try to play. She is day to day right now. Lydia Watkins sprained her knee in Hawaii. It was her right knee and she hyper extended it. We are thinking she will be out until at least next Tuesday. So, we are a little banged up right now but that is typical for this part of the season. Tomorrow is a very exciting game for us. It is a game we need to come out and play very well in. Western Kentucky is a team that is extremely talented. It will be a good test for us. We are excited to be renewing an old rivalry. We think it will be a good game and we are looking forward to playing in it.?
On renewing the series?
?I think that Kentucky and everyone in Kentucky loves basketball. Being at the University of Kentucky I think it is important to do everything you can to help promote women?s basketball in the state. We want to be able to give people the opportunity to play and give the fans an opportunity to see a game that they will have interest in. There is more interest in this game than if we were playing someone else in another part of the country. It is an interesting game to people in the state. We have a lot of respect for the game of basketball here and anytime we have the chance to do something exciting for the game then we should do it.?
On the match-up between former high school teammates Crystal Kelly and Carly Omerod?
?I think when you play games against people within the state then there is a natural interest from players who played each other in high school. I know Western Kentucky was very excited about signing Crystal Kelly and that has been a big bonus for their program. We are very excited about having Carly (Omerod). I was not specifically thinking of a match-up between Crystal and Carly. That is not part of the game. It is just an interesting story line. This is a team sport and that will have very little impact on whether we win or not.?
On how concerned he is with Ormerod?s injury?
?I am always concerned when you have a player that is so important to your team and she gets injured. She is a very tough kid. She wants to play in every game and she wants to play this game. This game means a lot to her. I look for her to come out and perform well. We really don?t know what will happen because she is not practicing today. She will practicing today mentally but will be unable to practice physically.?
On Crystal Kelly?
?She is a great player for them. She is a handful to guard. Anytime you are scouting a team and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses you are obviously concerned about their strengths. The thing with her is that she very skilled at getting to the free-throw line. She does an outstanding job at drawing contact and getting to the line. Once she gets there she cashes in. She is shooting about 87 percent at the line right now. You have to make her earn her points. She draws contact and still gets the calls. It will be a big challenge guarding her tomorrow.?
Kentucky Players
#00 Carly Ormerod, G
On playing her high school teammate Crystal Kelly?
?I have been looking forward to this game since I saw the schedule. We have kept in touch since high school with text messaging and we have talked a couple of times. This will be the first time that we have played against each other or have ever seen each other play in college. Before the game I?m sure there will be smiles and jokes, but once the game starts we won?t be too good of friends.?
If there has been any trash talking with Kelly?
?I?m not much of a trash talker, so if there were it would just be us joking with each other. We are actually really good friends.?
On her alma mater Sacred Heart Academy attending the game?
?I?m excited that they are coming. It?s going to be a good game and I?m really looking forward to it. They made t-shirts for the game. Tomorrow?s game is going to be very fun.?
On the game tomorrow and the excitement around it ?
?The game against Western is a huge game for our program and for me. It is a good rivalry and I?m excited to have it back.?
On the Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii?
?Hawaii was a lot of fun. It was a good learning experience for the team. To come back after the two straight losses was a good sign for our team, and hopefully it will show tomorrow night.?
#4 Sarah Elliott, C
On surfing in Hawaii?
?I bruised my leg just a little bit but it was a great time. I got up a couple of times on the board. I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat.?
On playing against teammate Carly Ormerod and WKU?s Crystal Kelly in the Sweet 16 in high school?
?There was so much competition and it was a really competitive time. Carly and Crystal were a great combo.?
On playing Western Kentucky?
?I think it will be fun for us because I never have played against them. It should be a competitive game.?
