Wildcats meet first-time opponent Chippewas in the third annual “Terry Hall Memorial Classic”
*Photo by Regina Rickert
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 7/8 Kentucky women’s basketball looks to begin its season at 4-0 for the first time since 2011-12 and fourth time in the Matthew Mitchell era when the Wildcats play host to first-time opponent Central Michigan in the third annual “Terry Hall Memorial Classic” on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. ET in Memorial Coliseum. The game will be televised live on the UK IMG Sports Television Network and Fox Sports South. Fans can also listen to the UK IMG Sports Radio Network with Neil Price or follow Twitter updates on @UKHoopCats.
Single-game reserved tickets cost of $9 for all ages. General admission tickets for adults are $8 while single-game general admission tickets for seniors and children (ages 6-18, 65 and over) are only $5. UK faculty, staff and children ages five and under are admitted free in the general admission seating area, while supplies last. Season tickets are also still available for just $65. Lower-level chair back seating ($80) is sold out.
Kentucky created the “Terry Hall Memorial Classic” in 2011-12 to honor the former all-time winningest coach in UK Hoops history, Terry Hall.
“We are excited for Sunday’s game, the ‘Terry Hall Memorial Classic’,” UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “We started this three years ago to honor Coach Hall, who really showed us what was possible here at Kentucky. She won a bunch of games here had great teams here in the early 80s. I always looked at the success they had as a real great example of what could happen here. I really appreciate Coach Hall’s contributions and we’re happy to have a game that honors her.”
Coach Hall coached the Cats to seven consecutive winning seasons from 1980-87, charting a 138-66 overall record (67.7%). She now owns the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage behind Matthew Mitchell. She 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.
The Wildcats (3-0) are coming off a dominating win over Georgia Southern in their home opener on Wednesday morning. Six players scored in double figures as the Wildcats defeated the Eagles, 103-38. The 65-point win ranks as the seventh largest margin of victory in school history. In the win, UK set season highs in points (103), rebounds (49), assists (26), steals (24), turnovers forced (35), field goal percentage (50.6), points in the paint (54) and bench points (58).
Senior Bernisha Pinkett (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench and scored a game- and season-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She finished two points shy of her career high which she set on Nov. 28, 2012 vs. Miami (Ohio). Senior Kastine Evans (Salem, Conn.) netted a season-high tying 15 points, while seniors DeNesha Stallworth (Richmond, Calif.) and Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Junior Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) came off the bench for her second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in just 15 minutes of action and freshman Linnae Harper (Chicago) scored a career-high 13 points.
Overall, Stallworth leads the Wildcats in scoring with 13.3 points per game, Evans and junior guard Bria Goss (Indianapolis) follow with 13.7 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Walker is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Located in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Central Michigan is 1-0 after winning its season opener at Massachusetts last week, 105-61. Niki DiGuilio led the team with 20 points and Jas’Mine Bracey and Kerby Tamm each recorded double-doubles.
Junior guard Crystal Bradford is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 16.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She did not play in the team’s season opener vs. UMass due to a violation of team rules but is set to see action vs. the Wildcats.
The Chippewas went 21-12 last season, including a 12-4 mark in the Mid-American Conference and champions of the MAC Tournament, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
CMU returns 10 letterwinners and three starters off last season’s squad. The Chippewas were a unanimous choice to win the MAC West title and received nine of 12 votes to repeat at the MAC Tournament by the coaches in the leagues’ preseason poll.
“It’s going to be a very tough game. Central Michigan is coming back this season after a very good season last year when they were an NCAA Tournament team,” Mitchell said. “Their best player, Crystal Bradford, is a dynamic Southeastern Conference-type player, very, very athletic, skilled and can make all the plays that you need made. She’s a handful and they love to play up-tempo. They scored 105 in their first game on the road, so they really look to push in transition. We might have some fireworks going off in Memorial on Sunday afternoon. It will be a good game for everyone to come out and see and it will be a tough test and we’ll have to prepare well to win.”
Sunday will mark the first meeting between the teams. However, Kentucky is 30-4 all-time vs. teams from the Chippewas’ Mid-American Conference.
The Wildcats have now won 13 straight regular season non-conference games and 39 straight regular season games vs. non-conference opponents at home. The Cats own a 373-141 (72.5) mark in Memorial Coliseum, including an 83-13 (86.4) record under Matthew Mitchell.
For parking information please see attached map or visit www.ukathletics.com/wbbgameday.
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