No. 22 UK Women Host Northern Kentucky Thursday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 22 University of Kentucky women’s basketball program will play host to Northern Kentucky on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. ET in the newly renovated Historic Memorial Coliseum.

The game also will be seen on SEC Network+ with Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas on the broadcast. In addition, Darren Headrick will have the radio call for UK Sports Network in 2024-25, his eighth straight season as the voice of the Wildcats. His call will be carried on 630 AM WLAP and on SiriusXM Channel 161 or 191.

The game theme is Space Jam Night, while fans also can enjoy a halftime scrimmage between the Commonwealth’s favorite mascot duo – Team Wildcat and Team Scratch.

Kentucky is coming off its season-opening win over USC Upstate, 98-43, earlier this week. It marked UK’s second largest margin of victory in a season opener, with the school record going to UK’s triumph over Kentucky State, 121-44, in 1989-90. It also marked a UK head coach’s largest margin of victory in their debut.

Clara Strack of Kentucky defends during Monday night's season-opening victory over USC Upstate at Historic Memorial Coliseum. (UK Athletics Photo by Aran Steele)

The Wildcats began the season shooting 52.2 percent from the field (35-of-67), 29.6 percent from the arc (8-of-27) and 80.0 percent from the line (20-of-25).

Five Cats scored in double digits, including Clara Strack (22), Amelia Hassett (14), Teonni Key (14), Clara Silva (14) and Georgia Amoore (11). It marked Strack’s, Key’s and Silva’s career highs in scoring. Amoore earned the 13th double-double of her career, thanks to her 11 points and 10 assists.

Playing in the first game of her college career, Silva went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, the first player to be perfect from the field – with at least five field goals – since Makayla Epps in 2014. Silva also smacked six blocks, which was one shy of the individual program and freshman school record.

The Cats’ defense held the Spartans to 29.3 percent from the field.  Kentucky also outrebounded USC Upstate, 45-33, with Key and Hassett leading the team on nine boards apiece.

Kentucky leads Northern Kentucky in the all-time series, 11-4, which began in 1975, including 6-2 in Memorial Coliseum. The Wildcats have won the last six straight meetings dating back to 1980, however the two teams haven’t met since 2014. In fact, the two teams have only met once - 2014 - since the turn of the century. In the most recent meeting, UK defeated NKU, 82-64, on Dec. 3, 2014.