No. 21 Kentucky Back in Action Thursday vs. No. 15 Georgia
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a two-week delay due to multiple postponements, the No. 21 University of Kentucky women’s basketball team returns to action for the first time since Dec. 19 on Thursday as it plays host to No. 15 Georgia 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. Tickets are available for purchase at UKathletics.com/tickets. For more on mobile tickets, visit UKathletics.com/mobiletickets.
Thursday’s game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ with Jeff Piecoro and Carol Ross on the call. Darren Headrick will have the call on the UK Sports Network (630AM in Lexington). Live stats and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Regardless of vaccination status, all guests will be required to wear a mask while visiting Memorial Coliseum. Fans will not be required to show proof of vaccination to enter, but face coverings – covering the nose and mouth – are required for all fans as they watch the game from their seat and enter, exit, and move around Memorial Coliseum. Children 2 and younger will not be required to wear a mask. If spectators are unable to wear masks, they are encouraged not to attend in person for the sake of their health and the health of others.
Doors to Memorial Coliseum will open one hour prior to tip. All bags must adhere to the UK Athletics Clear Bag policy. All bags and items will be searched. To avoid additional touch points, fans are strongly encouraged to not bring unnecessary bags to Memorial Coliseum. More on UK Athletics’ Clear Bag policy can be found online, here.
Parking for games is available starting three hours prior to tip off in a majority of surface lots surrounding Memorial Coliseum, including the High Street Lot, East Maxwell Lot, Joe Craft Center Lot, College View Lot, Alumni Center Lot and Career Center Lot. The Cornerstone Garage and Parking Structure 2 open two hours prior to tip. The Gatton Student Center Lot is pay-to-park while all other parking options are free. The JCC Lot is primarily used limited mobility/handicap parking. No shuttles are being offered from any lot this season.
Kentucky (7-3, 0-0 SEC) has not played since Dec. 19 when it took down USC Upstate inside Memorial Coliseum 67-44. It has been an interesting few weeks for the Wildcats as UK was supposed to play Dec. 17 against Morgan State before COVID issues with Morgan State postponed that game. Kentucky was supposed to start league play on Dec. 29 at Auburn before the Tigers had to postpone due to COVID protocol. Monday’s game against Mississippi State was then postponed due to COVID protocol within the UK program. That game has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. ET in Lexington.
Senior guard Rhyne Howard and redshirt junior forward Dre’una Edwards are leading UK this season with Howard averaging 18.7 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Edwards is earning 17.4 points per game with 9.0 rebounds per game. Senior guard Robyn Benton and freshman guard Jada Walker are each averaging double figures. Benton is earning 13.2 per game with Walker at 11.5. Edwards has recorded five straight double-doubles for Kentucky. She is the first player with five straight since Evelyn Akhator in 2016 and the first player with five straight all in the same season since Eleia Roddy in 2008-09. UK is 4-1 when she has a double-double. UK ranks 10th nationally in assist-turnover ratio and first in the SEC at 1.36. UK is 11th nationally and second in the SEC in FG% and 20th nationally and first in the SEC in scoring offense at 79.5 points per game.
Georgia (12-2, 1-1 SEC) enters Thursday ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 14 in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25. The Bulldogs started league play by falling at home to top-20 ranked LSU, 68-62, before earning at win at Florida, 73-69 last Sunday. The best win of the season for UGA was a 82-80 victory at No. 2 NC State in mid-December. Georgia also has wins over Texas Tech, Marquette and Notre Dame with the lone non-conference loss coming to Georgia Tech. Jenna Staiti is averaging 14.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game this season, while Que Morrison is averaging 14 points with 4.7 rebounds per game and leads the team with 68 assists.
Thursday’s meeting with Georgia will be the 60th all-time between the two programs. Georgia leads the series 38-21, including a 14-11 edge in games played in Lexington. Kentucky has won three of the last four meetings in the series. The two teams met twice last season with UK earning a win at Georgia 62-58 on Feb. 25 before the Bulldogs took down UK 78-66 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. UGA’s last win in Lexington was a 56-42 decision in Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 7, 2018.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
