NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Hornets announced today that individual tickets for the first half of the regular season will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m.

Fans who want access to purchasing tickets before the general public can sign up to receive Bee-Mail at Hornets.com.

The Hornets recently surpassed the 12,000-mark of tickets sold for each individual home game making this the highest average at this time prior to a season. The average is made up of season ticket sales, partial plans, suite sales and group tickets.

"Certainly, the excitement for the upcoming season is upon us as training camp draws near. We are thrilled with the response from the community. Having 12,000 tickets sold is just the start of the momentum we've built this offseason," said Owner Tom Benson. "We have a young, talented roster that has been working very hard this off season and we all anticipate the start of the season on October 31st. It will be here before you know it."

Tickets for pre-season and regular-season games through the Hornets' Feb. 13 match-up with Portland will be available during the on-sale in all seating categories. Tickets for remaining games will go on sale at a later date.

A special pre-sale link and password will be e-mailed to all Bee-Mail subscribers the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 19, with pre-sale access beginning at 1:00 p.m. that afternoon.

The general public can purchase individual-game tickets in all available seating categories on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, on Hornets.com, by calling 1-800-4NBATIX or by visiting the New Orleans Arena box office.

In addition to the single-game on-sale, the Hornets will host a select-a-seat event at the New Orleans Arena on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Fans will have the opportunity to select their seats for 2012-13 season-ticket packages, as well as half-season and 12-game plans.

The Hornets' partial plans include the Superstar and Contender Packages which feature some of the top teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences, as well as the Friday Night Package which includes premier opponents on 12 of the Hornets' 13 Friday-night home games. The Friday Night Package is designed to give fans the opportunity to tip off the weekend with the excitement of an enhanced pre-game party at Champions Square followed by a Hornets game.

For more information on purchasing regular season tickets including full season tickets, half season plans or 12-game partial plans, please visit Hornets.com or call (504) 525-HOOP. For information regarding Hornets group experiences, please visit www.Hornetsgroups.com.