No. 13 Kentucky Begins Season Tuesday vs. Mount St. Mary’s
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 13 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team is hoping to start its 2019-20 season off right when it begins its 46th season of varsity women’s basketball Tuesday playing host to Mount St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. ET inside Memorial Coliseum.
Single-game tickets are $10 (all ages) in reserved seating areas, while general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children (ages 6-18) and seniors (age 65+). Children aged 5 and under do not require a ticket in general admission areas. Purchasing season tickets offers the best option and price savings for fans. Season tickets are available in upper-level reserved chairbacks (sections AA-JJ), lower-level reserved bleachers (sections R-Z) or general admission bleachers (sections RR-ZZ) for $69 per ticket.
Young fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Kid Zone pregame with games, poster making stations, coloring stations and more. Freshman forward Deasia Merrill is scheduled to sign autographs on the concourse following the game.
The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the call. The action can also be seen through WatchESPN on computers, smartphones or tablets. Darren Headrick will have the call on the UK Sports Network on 98.5 FM in Lexington. Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Tuesday’s game will serve as UK’s annual Terry Hall Memorial Classic, which was introduced during the 2011-12 season. Terry Hall held the distinction of the winningest head coach in UK program history before being surpassed by current UK head coach Matthew Mitchell.
Hall coached the Cats to seven consecutive winning seasons from 1980-87, charting a 138-66 overall record (67.7%). At the end of her tenure, she owned the most wins and the best winning percentage of any coach to guide the program. Hall started with a 25-6 record in 1980-81 and a trip to the second round of the AIAW national tournament before falling by one point to Maryland. The NCAA welcomed women’s basketball into its ranks the following year, and that historical season ended with the Cats falling to eventual national champion Louisiana Tech in the Midwest Regional finals on the Lady Techsters’ home floor.
After the Cats failed to make the NCAA tournament in 1986-87, Hall left coaching for the business sector. But three years later, she accepted the head coaching job at Wright State University, where she coached for seven years before succumbing to cancer in 1997.
Spectator parking is located in all E-lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum and are off control 3 hours prior to tip. Additionally, the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) and the Rose Street Garage (PS#2) are available 2 hours prior to tip. The Bill Gatton Student Center is available as a pay-to-park option. Availability is based on the Gatton Student Center Event Schedule.
Parking is prohibited in any R (Residential) lots. Vehicles parking in R 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. Disabled spectator parking is available with a valid, state issues disabled hangtag in the E lot North of the Craft Center. These spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis until full.
Shuttles are available beginning 2 hours prior to tip off and pick up and drop off near the South Limestone Garage (PS#5) and the High Street Lot. Shuttles will start back up after halftime to return guests to their parking areas, the shuttle will discontinue service 1-hour post-game.
Doors to Memorial Coliseum open 1.5 hours before tip and UK Athletics encourages women’s basketball fans to arrive early to ease traffic and parking congestion around the Coliseum. For more information on parking around Memorial Coliseum and other game-day questions visit UKathletics.com.
The Wildcats are coming off an impressive showing in its lone exhibition of the season Wednesday night in Memorial Coliseum, downing Southern Indiana 80-44. The Screaming Eagles begin the season ranked 18th in the NCAA Division II Top 25. Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard led all scorers with 20 points – 17 in the second half – hitting five 3s with six rebounds and two blocks. Junior forward KeKe McKinney had six points, seven rebounds and five blocks, while true freshman Emma King scored 12 points going 4-of-6 from long range. Senior guard Sabrina Haines, playing in her first career action for UK, scored 11 points with six rebounds.
Mount St. Mary’s is in its third season under head coach Maria Marchesano. Last season, The Mount had a 15-16 record, including an 8-10 mark in league play. The 15 wins were the most for the Mountaineers since 2013-13 when they went 19-14 overall and earned the program’s only trip to the WNIT.
Marchesano and Co. return 11 players from last year’s squad, including NEC All-Rookie selection Michaela Harrison, who averaged 13.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season. Rebecca Lee also returns after leading the team with 7.3 rebounds per game last season, adding 8.1 points per game. Jatarrikah Settle also returns after averaging 9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2018-19.
This is the first all-time meeting between Kentucky and Mount St. Mary’s in women’s basketball. Kentucky and Mount St. Mary’s will also meet in men’s basketball this season with the Wildcats hosting The Mount on Friday, Nov. 22 at Rupp Arena. Kentucky is 5-0 all-time against teams that make up the current alignment of the NEC.
UK is 37-8 all-time in season openers, including winning 10 in a row. Last season, UK defeated Alabama State 87-35 in its season opener at Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats are 41-4 all-time in home openers and have won 10 in a row as well.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
