Nov. 5, 2014

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 11/10 Kentucky women’s basketball team opens the 2014-15 campaign Thursday, Nov. 6 when it plays host to Pikeville in the Wildcats’ lone exhibition contest of the season. Game time is 7 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum. Admission is free, while supplies last.

Kentucky vs. Pikeville (exh) Thursday, Nov. 6- 7:00 p.m. ET Lexington, Ky. Game Notes: UK | UP Gameday Info
Coverage
Radio: UK Sports Network Live Video via SEC Network+ Online Audio Live Stats Twitter Text Updates

The game will be live streamed on SEC Network+ which is exclusively available on SECNetwork.com and on WatchESPN via computers, smartphones and tablets. The game also can be heard live on the UK Sports Radio Network with Neil Price calling the action for the 10th consecutive season. Fans can follow the UK Hoops team on Twitter at @UKHoopCats and use #OURSeason to comment on the game.

Pikeville is a NAIA school located in Pikeville, Ky., approximately 142 miles east of Lexington. Its teams compete in the Mid-South Conference. The Bears, under the direction of head coach Joanna McNamee, were picked to finish seventh in the Mid-South Conference preseason standings after finishing 14-18 last season. They are currently 2-0 after wins over WVU Tech (91-85) and Midway (Ky.) (77-61). Pikeville takes on Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky., Wednesday evening before traveling to Lexington on Thursday.

Pikeville has one player from Lexington on its roster in senior guard Courtney Haney who played at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

This is UK’s lone exhibition game of the season. The Wildcats will play host to three straight home games to open the 2014-15 season beginning with Appalachian State on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. ET in Memorial.

“Our team has been working very hard to prepare for the season,” UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “This exhibition game is really an important part of our preparation to get us ready. We know Pikeville will be excited to play and we need to make sure we more excited to play in Memorial. We are always grateful for another season and I hope we have great excitement entering the game because we get another chance to play in Memorial Coliseum and we think it’s the best place in the country to play.”

This marks the first meeting between the two programs. UK is 6-1 in exhibition games under Coach Mitchell who is in his eighth season as the all-time winningest coach in UK Hoops history.

Seven letter winners return for Kentucky from last season’s Sweet 16 squad, including top scorer and preseason All-Southeastern Conference First Team member Jennifer O’Neill (Bronx, N.Y.), and starters Bria Goss (Indianapolis) and Janee Thompson (Chicago). O’Neill, a 5-foot-6 senior guard, dropped in a team-high 12.6 points per game last year, while Goss, a 5-10 senior guard and preseason All-SEC second team selection, was the team’s third-leading scorer a year ago with 10.2 ppg. Thompson, a 5-7 junior point guard, averaged 8.6 points per game last season, while dishing out a team-best 107 assists. Also returning is senior center Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) who saw action in all 35 games last season with five starts and senior forward Jelléah Sidney (Queens Village, N.Y.) who averaged 3.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and was second on the team in steals with 41. The dynamic sophomore duo of Linnae Harper (Chicago) and Makayla Epps (Lebanon, Ky.) look to pick up where they left off last season. Harper, a 5-8 guard and member of the SEC All-Freshman team and SEC All-Tournament team, averaged 6.9 points per game overall, including 9.5 ppg in postseason play. Epps, a 5-10 guard, was one of the team’s best shooters, hitting .483 percent from the field (56-of-116).

New additions to the roster this season include junior college transfer and 6-foot-6 center Ivana Jakubcova (Bratislava, Slovakia), freshman shooting guard Jaycee Coe (Gainesboro, Tenn.), freshman and forward/center Alexis Jennings (Madison, Ala.) and freshman center Alyssa Rice (Reynoldsburg, Ohio). Sophomore forward Kyvin Goodin-Rogers (Lebanon, Ky.) also will be available for action after sitting out last season with a pulmonary embolism.

Spectator parking is located in the following areas:

• All E-lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum beginning 3 hours prior to tip-off
• The South Limestone Garage (formerly called Parking Structure #5, adjacent to Kennedy’s Bookstore) is available 1.5 hours prior to tip-off.
• Lexington Authority Transit Center Parking Garage is available after 5 p.m. ET on weekdays and all day on weekends.
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    When parking in the Transit Center, pull a yellow token from the dispenser and keep in your vehicle.  See the event staff attendant at the entrance near Lexington Avenue/High Street to receive a free parking voucher before the game.  When exiting the garage after the game, place your yellow token in the machine, then scan the barcode on your free parking voucher to exit.
    
• Handicap parking is available in the E-Lot (Employee Lot) north of the Craft Center, adjacent to the metered spaces running along the frontage of the Craft Center with a valid, state issued handicap tag.  These spaces (typically 20-30 stalls) are available on a first-come, first-serve basis until full.

Please note: parking is prohibited in any R (Residential) lots. Vehicles parking in Residential lots without a proper permit, along yellow curbs, grass spaces, or other non-specified and unapproved areas may be subject to ticket and/or tow.

Shuttle Information:

• Free shuttle services are available beginning 1.5 hours prior to tip off from the South Limestone Garage located off Limestone and Upper Street and the Transit Center Parking Garage located off High Street and Vine Street.
• Parking Structure # 5 (blue route) picks up/drops off on Administration Drive, at the end of the pedestrian sky bridge accessed from the 3rd floor of the parking garage.
• Transit Center Parking Garage (green route) picks up/drops off near the corner of High Street and Martin Luther King.  See event staff in the area for assistance.
• Shuttles will start back up at halftime and continue until 1 hour post-game to return guests to their parking areas.

Game day Information:

• Doors to the Coliseum will open one (1) hour prior to tip-off.
• UK Athletics encourages women’s basketball fans to arrive early to ease traffic and parking congestion around the Coliseum.

Surface event lots (i.e. Student Center, Joe Craft Center North, and Rose Street Lot) typically reach capacity approximately 1.5 hours prior to tip-off, at which point vehicles should proceed directly to the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) or the Lexington Authority Transit Center Parking Garage near High Street and Lexington Avenue.

For more information on parking around Memorial Coliseum and other game-day questions visit www.ukathletics.com/wbbgameday.