LEXINGTON, Ky. – One of the most special days of the year will start on Sunday, with the 19th University of Kentucky women’s basketball team welcoming Ole Miss to the Memorial Coliseum for a tip at noon ET. Before, during and after the game, the UK will honor two senior managers, together with the guards Chasity Patterson and Kameron Roach for their commitment and dedication to the Wildcat program.
The game against Ole Miss will be broadcast on the SEC Network with Paul Sunderland and Andraya Carter on the conference call. The action can be checked by WatchESPN on computers, smartphones or tablets. Darren Headrick will call the UK Sports Network at 630AM WLAP in Lexington. Live statistics and free live audio will be available online at UKathletics.com.
Patterson is having a great season finale for the Wildcats, starting every game this season and playing more than 40 games in his career. This season, Patterson averages 13 points per game with 62 assists. The owner leads the Southeast Conference and is among the top five in the country, with 70 steals, making her a semifinalist for the 2021 Player of the Year award at Naismith. The Houston, Texas native will graduate in May in media arts and studies and plans to pursue professional basketball at the end of the season.
Roach, who has played 34 games in his career, has been the best teammate since arriving on campus four years ago. The native of Hopkins, South Carolina, has played in six games this season and her best performance was against Wofford, where she scored five points and hit a 3-point basket. A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll for three years, Roach is a member of the prestigious Frank G. Ham Society of Character in the UK. Roach graduated in December 2020 in kinesiology and health promotion and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same area.
Elderly KeKe McKinney and Tatyana Wyatt have chosen to return for an additional year of eligibility in 2021-22 and will not participate in the Senior Citizens Day ceremony on Sunday. McKinney plans to pursue a master’s degree and play for the 2021-22 team, while Wyatt will continue his academic career and is still unsure about his athletic career in 2021-22. Both McKinney and Wyatt plan to attend Senior Day in 2022.
Kentucky (16-6, 9-5 SEC) had one of its best performances of the year on Thursday, defeating No. 17 Georgia at the Stegeman Coliseum. It was Kentucky’s fifth win against a qualified opponent this season and put the Wildcats in a position to control their own destiny for a double win in the SEC tournament. Howard was the UK’s star in the game, scoring 27 points with four rebounds, four steals and two assists. The guard hit 4 of 4 from a long distance in the game and hit two huge 3s in the fourth period, when the UK needed them most, moving a UK two-point lead to five and then a four-point lead to seven and sealed winning. Chasity Patterson scored 15 points in the game, while Wyatt scored 11 points and led the UK with six rebounds.
Sunday’s other story will be the Wildcats looking to avenge an earlier loss this season to Ole Miss in Oxford. In one of its worst offensive performances of the year, the United Kingdom hit just 31.8% on the field and hit 6 out of 26 from long distance. The rebels overtook the Wildcats by 49-34 and had a 42-20 lead in paint points. Rhyne Howard attempted a double-double in the game, scoring 26 points with 10 rebounds, but it was 2 of 10 long distance in the game. Ole Miss was led by Shakira Austin, who scored 21 points with 12 rebounds, while Donnetta Johnson and Mimi Reid each had double digits.
Sunday will be the 44th all-time meeting between Kentucky and Ole Miss in women’s basketball. The rebels lead the all-time series 24-19 and added to that total with a 72-60 victory over Kentucky at the start of the season at Oxford. The UK leads the all-time series in games played at Lexington 10-9. Ole Miss won the last meeting between the two teams in Lexington, 55-49 on January 13, 2019. Kentucky has 34-11 at all times in the regular season finals at home (season 1974-75 not included). The Cats have won 14 of their last 17 games on Senior Citizens Day.
For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB at Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.