The Mitchell Family Foundation will donate $2 to the Pat Summitt Foundation for every fan who attends next two home games
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 9/8 Kentucky women’s basketball team will play host to the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. EST in Memorial Coliseum for its third annual “We Back Pat” game. The game will be broadcast live on the UK IMG Sports Radio Network with Neil Price. Fans can also watch a live video stream on the paid portion of UKAthletics.com or follow Twitter updates on @UKHoopCats.
In participating in “We Back Pat” Week, the week-long initiative focused on bringing awareness and recognition to The Pat Summitt Foundation, UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell and his wife Jenna, in conjunction with their Mitchell Family Foundation, will donate $2 to The Pat Summitt Foundation for every fan who attends the Wildcats’ next two games: Thursday vs. Alabama (7 p.m. ET) and Sunday vs. Arkansas (1 p.m. ET). The players will also don “We Back Pat” shooting shirts and the UK Hoops coach staff will wear purple to represent the fight against Alzheimer’s.
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.
Tickets can be purchased online at UKAthletics.com or Ticketmaster.com, in person at the Joe Craft Center ticket office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST or by calling 1-800-928-2287. Tickets are also available for purchase on game day.
“It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow with Alabama,” Mitchell said. “It’s a quick turnaround playing them because we already played them in the first game of the (SEC) season, so it hasn’t been that awfully long since we played them down there (in Tuscaloosa). They made it tough on us to win in Tuscaloosa. They have some really good athletes, play extremely hard, have one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and so they make it tough on you to guard them and they do a good job defensively. We really, really hustled down there in Tuscaloosa. That was a huge key in the game. We got off to a great start and I thought it was our best game from a mental focus standpoint in the conference. That’s something that is important for us to recapture tomorrow night and get a very, very important victory over Alabama. We’ll have to work hard to do it.”
Kentucky (15-3, 3-2 SEC) went 10 for 20 from the 3-point line in defeating Alabama in the SEC opener on Jan. 2 in Tuscaloosa, 85-63. Four Wildcats scored in double figures led by junior point guard Jennifer O’Neill (Bronx, N.Y.) with 17 points off the bench. Junior center Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) looked impressive after charting a season-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Always steady senior guard Kastine Evans (Salem, Conn.) followed with 15 points and senior Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) recorded 12 points and game-high 13 rebounds.
Overall, O’Neill leads four Wildcats in double-digit scoring with 12.7 points per game. Senior forward DeNesha Stallworth (Richmond, Calif.) follows with 12.2 ppg, while Evans and Walker add 10.9 and 10.6 ppg, respectively. Walker leads the SEC in rebounding with 9.8 rpg, including 11.0 in league play. She ranks third in the SEC in double-doubles with seven, including two in a row and four in the last five games.
The Tide, under the direction of first-year head coach Kristy Curry, are 8-10 on the season, 1-4 in SEC play after falling at No. 8/8 South Carolina on Sunday. Senior Shafontaye Myers leads the Tide in scoring at 15.1 points per contest. Myers ranks second in the SEC in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.425). Junior Daisha Simmons ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points, while freshman forward Ashley Williams averages 11.4 points per game.
The Wildcats lead the overall series with Alabama 24-16, including a 12-5 advantage when the game is played in Lexington. UK has won nine of the last 10 matchups, including six in a row vs. the Tide at home. Alabama’s last win in Lexington came on Jan. 27, 2002 (61-58) in Memorial.
Please note that fans arriving approximately 1 hour or less before tip-off are highly encouraged to park at the Transit Center Parking Garage (see shuttle info below) or Parking Structure #5 next to Kennedy’s bookstore. Both are a 5-10 minute walk or a short shuttle ride over to the Coliseum. All surface lots near the Coliseum will likely be full one hour prior to tip-off and you will be re-directed to one of these options. Doors to Memorial Coliseum will open at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Changes to parking are highlighted in yellow:
All E-lots (Employee Lots) surrounding Memorial Coliseum beginning 3 hours prior to tip-off
[highlight]Parking Structure #5 (adjacent to Kennedy’s Bookstore) –access from Limestone or Upper Street beginning 1.5 hours prior to tip. No vouchers or coupons are necessary for free parking unless otherwise noted.[/highlight]
Lexington Authority Transit Center Parking Garage, located between High Street and Vine Street, [highlight]is available for all remaining games.[/highlight] If parking in this garage, bring the yellow token and game ticket to the Guest Service table at the Lexington Ave entrance to request a free parking coupon.
Handicap parking is available in the E-Lot (Employee Lot) north of the Craft Center, adjacent to the metered spaces running along the frontage of the Craft Center with a valid, state issued handicap tag. These spaces (typically 20-30 stalls) are available on a first-come, first-serve basis until full. [highlight]Game day shuttles are also handicap accessible should these spaces fill before game time.[/highlight]
Please note: parking is prohibited in any R (Residential) lots. Vehicles parking in Residential 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.
Shuttle Information:
Shuttles are available beginning 1.5 hours prior to tip off from Parking Structure # 5 located off Limestone and Upper Street and the Transit Center Parking Garage located off High Street and Vine Street.
Parking Structure # 5 (blue route) picks up/drops off on Administration Drive, at the end of the pedestrian sky bridge accessed from the 3rd floor of the parking garage. [highlight]This shuttle will drop off at the front of Memorial Coliseum[/highlight].
Transit Center Parking Garage (green route) picks up/drops off near the corner of High Street and Martin Luther King. [highlight]This shuttle will drop off at the Lexington Ave entrance near the ticket office.[/highlight]
[highlight]Shuttles will start back up at halftime (to return guests to their parking areas) and end 1 hour post-game.[/highlight]
For more information on parking around Memorial Coliseum and other game-day questions visit www.ukathletics.com/wbbgameday.
