Sophomore night and Pink Zone event set for February 12
Kirkwood’s basketball teams will be playing for something more than wins this Saturday as they take on conference opponent Ellsworth Community College. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will host the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national Pink Zone event to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. All fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the cause.
Attendance is expected to be high, as six women’s and nine men’s basketball players will be honored for sophomore night.
The No. 5 nationally ranked Eagles Women’s Basketball team come into the final home game posting a near perfect 11-1 conference record. A recent loss to Iowa Central snapped the women’s 116 conference game win streak. The Eagles look to bounce back against Ellsworth to hold the top spot in conference rankings.
Kirkwood Men’s Basketball moved to a No. 4 national ranking this week with a 21-4 overall record. The men top the conference with only one loss, also coming from Iowa Central. The Eagles look to extend their conference lead Saturday as they take on Ellsworth this Saturday. The last time the Eagles met Ellsworth, the game ended with a very close 75-71 road victory for Kirkwood.
Kirkwood basketball teams were two of 1800 teams participating in the WBCA’s Pink Zone last year that helped raise a total of $1,045,000 in donations for breast cancer awareness. The WBCA encourages donations from all Pink Zone games to be given to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with the V Foundation. The late Kay Yow, the Fund’s namesake and former North Carolina State head women’s basketball coach, served as a catalyst for starting the WBCA Pink Zone. After three bouts with breast cancer, Yow passed away in January 2009.
The Eagles women (19-6) will compete at 3 p.m. with the men following at 5 p.m. in Johnson Hall. Due to inclement weather last week, the men will make-up their game against Southeastern on Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m.
More information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund is available on their website at:
http://www.kayyow.com