No. 14 Kentucky Returns to Memorial Coliseum Sunday vs. Austin Peay
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fresh off its best overall performance of the year Tuesday night scoring a season-high 81 points while limiting Grambling State to a season-low 35 points, the No. 14 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team looks to build on that performance when it plays host to Austin Peay on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET inside historic 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.
The game vs. Austin Peay will be televised on the SEC Network with Tiffany Greene and Andraya Carter 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 630AM WLAP in Lexington. Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Young fans are encouraged to take advantage of the Kid Zone pregame with games, poster making stations, coloring stations and more. Junior guard Kameron Roach is scheduled to sign autographs on the concourse following the game.
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.
There was a lot for Matthew Mitchell and Co. to be proud of last time out as UK defeated Grambling State 81-35. The Wildcats put together their best offensive performance of the season, scoring a season-best 81 points behind a season-high 49.1 percent from the field. UK hit 10 3s in the game and had 18 assists, making it consecutive games that the Wildcats have hit 10 or more 3s and had 18 or more assists. Defensively, UK limited Grambling State to just 35 points on 29.8 percent shooting while the tigers were 0-of-8 from long range. UK had 11 steals and forced 25 turnovers, scoring 20 points off those miscues.
Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard was the star again for Kentucky in the game, scoring a season-high 27 points with four 3s and five rebounds. The guard has scored 20 or more points in three of her last four games. The only game during that stretch that Howard didn’t score 20 was her double-double performance at Virginia. Senior guard Jaida Roper scored 10 points in the game with seven assists while sophomore guard Blair Green put together 12 points and has scored 10 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
Howard leads Kentucky in scoring and rebounding this season averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The native of Cleveland, Tennessee, has a team-high 17 3-pointers to go along with 15 assists and 13 steals. Senior guard Sabrina Haines is averaging 11.2 points per game and is 13-of-27 from lone range. Junior forwards Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney are each having great seasons. Wyatt is averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while McKinney is averaging 6.3 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game. McKinney leads Kentucky in blocks with 17.
Austin Peay enters Sunday’s game with a 5-1 record earning wins this season over Kentucky Wesleyan, Christian Brothers, Mississippi Valley State, Evansville and Chattanooga. The lone loss came to power-5 opponent Illinois on the road. The Govs fell 76-62 to the Illini in Champaign. In its last outing, APSU earned a big road win at Chattanooga, defeating the Mocs 50-49. Senior forward Arielle Gonzalez-Varner led the Governors with 18 points adding five rebounds, while freshman guard Ella Sawyer scored seven points with eight rebounds. ASPU shot 28.4 percent from the field but scored 24 points off turnovers.
For the season, Austin Peay is averaging 79.5 points per game, while limiting opponents to just 67.2 points per game. The Govs are hitting 41.3 percent from the field, 33.5 percent from 3 and 61.5 percent from the free-throw line with a 5.1 rebounding margin. APSU is forcing opponents into 26.5 turnovers per game and scoring 27.2 points off turnovers per game. Individually, Gonzalez-Varner is averaging 13.7 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game with a team-high 12 steals. Sophomore guard/forward Maggie Knowles is averaging 11.7 points per game with a team-best 18 3-pointers made, while Freshman guard hay-Lee Kirby is averaging 11.5 points per game .
This is the sixth all-time meeting between Kentucky and Austin Peay in women’s basketball with the Wildcats holding a 5-0 record against the Govs. UK is 3-0 against Austin Peay in Lexington with the last meeting coming Dec. 30, 2002 when UK earned a 82-56 win.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
