[COLOR=#222222] [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][B][I][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]UK Hoops looks for its first SEC-opening win since 2008[/FONT][/I][/B][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 6/6 Kentucky women’s basketball opens its 31st season of Southeastern Conference basketball when it travels to Gainesville, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 1 to take on the Florida Gators. Game time in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is 1 p.m. ET. The game will be televised live on CSS.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]This marks the fourth consecutive season UK has opened conference play on the road. The Wildcats are looking to snap a three-game losing skid in league openers, as their last win came in 2008 against Florida in Memorial Coliseum.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]“We are entering my favorite time of the basketball season and that’s Southeastern Conference play,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “I just think it is a real honor to compete in this conference. It is clearly, historically, the strongest women’s basketball conference in the country. I think it’s going to be a very challenging year and I am excited about the team that we have to compete in the conference. We’re looking forward to these next 16 games. We’ll need to work hard in the first one. Florida is a very good team, a very well-coached team, a very athletic team. To start the conference season on the road is a real challenge but we’re excited about the game and excited about the chance to go down to Florida to compete.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]The Wildcats (11-2) also look to get back on the winning track after a 70-58 loss at Middle Tennessee on Dec. 28. UK hit a season-low 32.3 percent from the field, including a mere 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Bria Goss (Indianapolis) was the only player in double figures with 12 points. Leading scorer A’dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.), who was limited to just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, scored all eight of her points in the second half to go along with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. Sophomore Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) also scored eight points in her first career start, while freshman center Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) added eight points off the bench in just 13 minutes.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]“We had a poor performance Wednesday,” Mitchell said. “A lot of that was caused by Middle Tennessee and how they prepared for the game, and played with more energy and executed better. I definitely think we have moved on from that and I have a lot of confidence that our team is ready to go and ready to play Sunday. We had a good session this morning, had a good session yesterday and we’ll go again this afternoon. I feel real good that they understand that we’ll have to go play hard and play really well to earn a victory.”[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]One thing that has remained constant this season is the Wildcats’ defensive pressure. UK leads the nation in turnover margin (+14.5) and ranks third in steals (15.8). The Cats have forced a league-high 427 turnovers for an average of 32.8 forced turnovers per game. Leading the charge is Mathies, who already ranks in the top 10 on UK’s all-time steals list. She averages a SEC-high tying 3.8 steals per game to go along with her team-best 15.4 points per game. Goss has also been a key contributor both offensively and defensively as she averages 12.2 points and 1.9 steals per game.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]Florida (10-3, 0-0 SEC) enter Sunday’s game coming off an 81-56 win over Samford on Dec. 28. UF was led Wednesday by junior forward and reigning SEC Player of the Week Jennifer George, who recorded her fifth straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Deana Allen came off the bench to net a team-high 17 points.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]George, a native of Orlando, Fla., leads the Gators in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (9.9 rpg), and ranks ninth and second in the SEC in each category, respectively. George is also shooting an impressive .592 clip from the field, the third highest in the conference. Senior guard Lanita Bartley leads the UF offense with a team-high 3.31 assists per game.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]UF leads the all-time series over Kentucky 22-21, including a 10-8 advantage when the game is played in[/FONT][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]Gainesville. The Cats have been successful against the Gators recently as they are looking for their third-straight win over Florida, including second-straight win in Gainesville after escaping with [/FONT][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]a 59-58 win last season.[/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std] [/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Arial Narrow MT Std]The game can be heard live on the UK IMG Sports Radio Network or [URL=”http://www.ukathletics.com/”]www.UKAthletics.com[/URL] with Neil Price calling the action. Fans can follow the UK Hoops team on Twitter at @UKHoopCats and use #UKHoops to comment on the game[/FONT][/COLOR]
