Holiday Spirit Abundant as No. 15 Kentucky Hosts Samford Sunday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Holiday spirit has hit Memorial Coliseum as the No. 15 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team encourages fans to wear ugly holiday sweaters and is giving out free UK WBB Santa hats when it plays host to Samford on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
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. Samford will be broadcast on the 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 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 forward Tatyana Wyatt 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.
Kentucky (8-0) is in the midst of a seven-game home stand with Sunday’s game vs. Samford being the fifth straight inside Memorial Coliseum for UK. During this stretch, Kentucky has played some of its best basketball averaging 81.8 points per game while limiting opponents to just 45 points per game. UK is shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from 3 during this stretch with 73 assists and just 45 turnovers. Overall this year, Kentucky is averaging 72.3 points per game, limiting opponents to just 46.4 points per game which ranks third nationally and first in the SEC. The Wildcats are the only team in the Southeastern Conference to limit every opponent this season to 54 points or less. UK has forced 20 or more turnovers from every team they have played this season, scoring 20 or more points off turnovers in every game but one.
Sophomore guard Rhyne Howard leads Kentucky this season in scoring and rebounding averaging 19.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. The native of Cleveland, Tennessee also has 20 assists, 19 steals and 10 blocks. Senior guard Sabrina Haines is averaging 11.6 points per game with 5.4 rebounds per game and leads the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage, while senior guards Amanda Paschal and Jaida Roper are tied for the team lead with 32 assists. Junior forwards Tatyana Wyatt and KeKe McKinney are having strong seasons. Wyatt is averaging 8.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. McKinney leads the team in blocks with 17 and is averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Samford enters Sunday’s game with a 3-7 record, including a 2-5 mark on the road. The Bulldogs started the season with a win against Montevallo, 81-60, before losing six straight games. Samford got back in the win column with back-to-back wins against North Alabama and Alabama State. In its last outing, Samford fell at UAB 76-69. As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 67.1 points per game this season shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from long range. Samford is averaging 16.8 turnovers per game while teams are outrebounding Samford on average this season.
Senior guard Sarah Myers leads the team by averaging 13.7 points per game with 6.5 rebounds per game while junior center Natalie Armstrong is averaging 13.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Senior guard Charity Brown is averaging 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while leading the team with 54 assists.
This is the third all-time meeting between Kentucky and Samford in women’s basketball. The Wildcats own a 2-0 record against the Bulldogs. The first meeting was Dec. 21, 2011 when UK won 90-61 while the last meeting was Nov. 27, 2016 when UK earned a 82-57 victory. Kentucky is 16-1 all-time against teams from the current alignment of the Southern Conference. Samford is the only SoCon team UK is scheduled to play this season.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
