UK Hoops and Nebraska Omaha Faceoff Wednesday
The Wildcats meet first-time foe Nebraska Omaha in another stretch of three games in five days
LEXINGTON,
Ky. – No. 14/11 Kentucky women’s basketball continues its nine-game
home stand with a matchup against first-time opponent Nebraska Omaha on
Wednesday, Nov. 23. Game time in Memorial Coliseum is 4 p.m. ET. “We
are looking forward to another challenge tomorrow as we try to improve
as a team and get better,” UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell said.
“We need to come out with a lot of energy and continue to try to
improve as a defensive team. I’m looking for, hopefully, some steps
forward from our post players. That’s been a real big emphasis in
practice. There’s a lot to work on this time of year and we have a good
challenge ahead of us tomorrow. We’re looking forward to playing them.” Kentucky
went 3-0 last week, defeating Jacksonville State, 100-25, Northeastern,
81-47, and Southern Mississippi, 88-71. It is the third straight season
UK has started 4-0. Last Tuesday, UK forced a program-record 48
turnovers against Jacksonville State, and held the Gamecocks to a
program-tying low of 25 total points. Junior guard A’dia
Mathies (Louisville, Ky.) had a fantastic week, averaging 19.3 points,
7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4.3 steals in Kentucky’s three games.
Mathies scored the 1,000th point of her UK career vs. Southern
Mississippi, becoming the 28th member of UK’s 1,000-point club and the
fourth-fastest Wildcat to ever reach the storied mark (74 games). Overall
this season, Mathies leads five players in double-figure scoring with
an average of 18.5 points per game. She also leads the team in steals
with 14 and is tied for the lead in rebounding with 6.8 boards per
game. Sophomore Kastine Evans (Salem, Conn.) follows Mathies in the
scoring column with 13.0 ppg, while Keyla Snowden (Lexington, Ky.),
Azia Bishop (Toledo, Ohio) and Bria Goss (Indianapolis) add 10.5, 10.3
and 10.0 ppg, respectively. As a team, Kentucky leads the
SEC in seven different statistical categories: scoring offense (91.2),
scoring margin (+40.5), rebounding offense (47.8), steals (18.0),
turnover margin (+18.2), offensive rebounds (24.8) and offensive
rebound percentage (.516). Mitchell is just one victory
shy of moving into a tie for third all-time at Kentucky in wins, while
the Wildcats look to continue their 24-game home winning streak vs.
non-conference opponents, dating back to the 2008-09 season. The
Mavericks come to Lexington coming off a 70-57 win over Upper Iowa in
their home opener. Nebraska Omaha is 2-1 on the season.
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