[COLOR=#000000][B][I]Wildcats look for eighth consecutive win over Lady Eagles[/I][/B][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000]LEXINGTON, Ky. – [COLOR=#222222]The No. 18/15 Kentucky women’s basketball team opens its 38th season of varsity women’s basketball when the Wildcats travel to Morehead State in Morehead, Ky., on Friday, Nov. 11. Game time is 7 p.m. ET in the Johnson Arena. [/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]The game can be heard live on [/COLOR]1580 AM in Lexington or [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/”]www.UKAthletics.com[/URL] [COLOR=#222222]with Neil Price calling the action for the sixth consecutive season. Fans can follow the UK Hoops team on Twitter at @UKHoopCats and use #UKHoops to comment on the game.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000]“We are looking forward to getting the season underway tomorrow,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “It’s an exciting time of year and our team has worked extremely hard in preparing for this game and the 2011-12 season. I am really happy about our effort in practice up to this point. We still have a long way to go but it will be good to get to play a game tomorrow. (Morehead State) is a tough opponent, they have scored a bunch in their first two exhibition games, they are averaging 96 points a game and forcing a ton of turnovers. It looks like they are really trying to play a full court game, up tempo on defense and offense. We are going to have our hands full and should be a great way to get the season started off. We are certainly going to go over there and work hard in order to earn a victory.”[COLOR=#222222][/COLOR][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]Friday marks just the ninth time in school history the Wildcats have opened the season on the road. UK[/COLOR][COLOR=#222222] [/COLOR][COLOR=#222222]is 3-5 in season openers away from home but has won [/COLOR][COLOR=#222222]seven consecutive games over the Lady Eagles and two-straight season openers.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]Mitchell welcomes back 10 letter winners, including four starters from last year’s 25-9 team, as well as redshirt senior guard Amber Smith (Winter Haven, Fla.), who started in all 36 games during UK’s magical run to the Elite Eight in 2010. Also returning for the Cats is junior guard A’dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.), who was a second-team preseason All-America choice by Sporting News and a first-team All-SEC selection. Mathies needs 74 points to become the 28th member of UK’s 1,000-point club.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]Additional returning letter winners include senior guards Crystal Riley (Memphis, Tenn.) and Keyla Snowden (Lexington, Ky.), one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in UK Hoops history, junior forward Brittany Henderson (Pasadena, Calif.), sophomore guard Maegan Conwright (Arlington, Texas), sophomore forward/center Samantha Drake (Bardstown, Ky.), sophomore guard Kastine Evans (Salem, Conn.), sophomore guard Jennifer O’Neill (Bronx, N.Y.) and All-SEC freshman team selection Bernisha Pinkett (Washington, D.C.). Kentucky also welcomes three talented freshmen to the roster in Bra’Shey Ali (Plainfield, N.J.), Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) and McDonald’s All-American Bria Goss (Indianapolis). Sophomore transfer Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) will add talent and depth to the UK front court. The Connecticut transfer will be eligible to play after the conclusion of the 2011 fall semester, per NCAA transfer rules.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]The Lady Eagles, led by second-year head coach Tom Hodges, boast a youthful roster in 2011-12, with seven freshmen and five sophomores.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]Morehead State was picked fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, while senior Courtney Lumpkin and junior Ashley Harris were selected to the preseason All-OVC team.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
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[COLOR=#000000][COLOR=#222222]This marks the 29th meeting between the programs since UK became a varsity sport in 1974-75. Kentucky leads the all-time series with Morehead 24-4, including a 7-3 advantage when playing in Morehead. UK has won seven in a row over the Lady Eagles, including an 82-48 win last season. The Wildcats forced 36 turnovers and Mathies scored a team-high tying 18 points on 6-9 shooting from the field.[/COLOR][/COLOR]
