Kentucky Hosts Vanderbilt Thursday Inside Memorial Coliseum
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off one of the best comebacks in program history, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball team looks to keep its momentum alive Thursday as it plays host to Vanderbilt for a 7 p.m. ET tip 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. 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 Christi Thomas 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 is coming off an impressive come-from-behind victory vs. Mississippi State on Tuesday. UK trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter before finishing the game on a 24-2 run to earn the 81-74 victory. It was the largest comeback for UK in the final 10 minutes of a game since 2014 when UK erased a 16-point Louisville lead. The win against Mississippi State was hopefully a breakout offensive game for Kentucky. The Wildcats scored over 80 points for just the second time in league play while its 23 assists were the most in a SEC game this season. UK had a +15 rebounding margin vs. MSU, which was also its most in a league game.
Redshirt junior forward Dre’una Edwards led Kentucky with 23 points, adding 10 rebounds and three blocks. Edwards was 9-for-9 from the free-throw line in the game. Freshman guard Jada Walker scored 17 points with five rebounds, going 3-of-3 from long range against the Bulldogs. Senior guard Rhyne Howard scored 16 points with 11 rebounds, adding six assists with two steals and two blocks.
Howard is leading Kentucky this season in scoring at 19.7 points per game, adding 7.9 rebounds per game with 41 3-pointers, 74 assists, 59 steals and 30 blocks. Edwards is second on the team with 15.5 points per game with 7.6 rebounds per game, adding 21 blocks. Walker is the only other Wildcat average double figures at 10.4 points per game.
Thursday will be the 58th all-time meeting between Vanderbilt and Kentucky in women’s basketball with the Commodores holding a 31-26 lead in the all-time series. Vandy has won three of the last five meetings, including one earlier this season in Nashville, 65-57. UK played with just six players in that game – Rhyne Howard, Jada Walker, Nyah Leveretter, Emma King, Jazmine Massengill and Olivia Owens. Treasure Hunt and Robyn Benton were out due to injury and Dre’una Edwards was not available due to disciplinary action. UK had a season-high 25 turnovers in the game, allowing 23 VU points off turnovers. Kentucky leads the series played in Lexington, 14-11 having won three straight. The last loss for UK vs. Vanderbilt in Lexington was a71-69 decision on Jan. 28, 2016.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
