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Feb. 16, 2005
ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF women's basketball takes on Atlantic Sun rival Gardner-Webb Thursday at 5 p.m. in the UCF Arena. The Golden Knights enter the game with a 15-7 mark on the season and 13-2 in the A-Sun, while the Running Bulldogs are 7-14 on the season and 5-9 in the conference.
Junior Celeste Hudson tops UCF in points with 11.9 per game, while senior Ali Roberts is also in double digits with 11.2 points per game. Junior Shelby Weber paces the Golden Knights in rebounds with 6.6 boards per outing. Sophomore Lashaunda Slade tops the Black and Gold in assists with 4.18 per game, while Weber also tops the team in blocks with 2.41 per game.
UCF currently tops the Atlantic Sun with a 13-2 (.867) mark in conference play. In the A-Sun statistics, the Golden Knights rank first in scoring defense (56.0 per game), blocked shots (5.95 per game), field goal percentage defense (35.5%) and scoring margin (+4.8), while they are second in rebounding margin (+4.5) and field goal percentage (40.4%). The Black and Gold also rank third in three-point field goal percent defense (30.8%) and fourth in assists (13.59 per game).
Individually, Hudson ranks 15th in scoring, while Roberts is 17th and Francine Houston is 23rd with 9.9 points per game. Slade is fourth in assists among A-Sun players and Hudson is ninth with 3.0 per game. Roberts is also sixth in the conference in field goal percentage with 48.5%, while Takira Allen is 10th with 44.7%. Hudson ranks fourth among A-Sun players in steals with 2.29 per game. Ranked second and fourth in the blocked shots department are Weber and Roberts (2.05 per game), while Allen is 12th (0.71 per game). Hudson (1.95 per game) and Houston (1.73 per game) are rank ninth and 11th in 3-point field goals made, respectively.
Last time out, the Golden Knights defeated Mercer, 64-59. Roberts had a team-high 17 points, while Allen had14. Hudson led the Golden Knights in rebounds with eight, while Slade had six assists. Roberts also had three blocks in the win, while Slade and Shayla Smith each had two steals.
Shameka Smith tops Gardner-Webb with 12.9 points per game, while Sequenta Blackman has 12.2. Smith paces the Bulldogs with 10.8 boards per game and 2.3 blocks per game. Brittany Harmon leads the team in assists with 1.48 per game.
Gardner-Webb is currently ninth in the A-Sun standings with a .357 winning percentage. In the A-Sun statistics, the Bulldogs rank first in rebounding margin (+5.1) and offensive rebounds (16.48 per game), while placing second in steals (10.38 per game). Gardner-Webb is also fourth in blocked shots (3.38 per game), fifth in scoring defense (63.5 per game), sixth in three-point field goals made (4.90 per game) and seventh in three-point field goal percentage defense (34.9%) and defensive rebounds (24.76 per game).
Individually, Smith is 11th among A-Sun players in scoring, while Blackman is 13th. Smith also places second in rebounding, while Harmon is 20th. Jasmin Morris is sixth in the league in steals with 1.95 per game. Blackman paces the conference in three-point percentage with 45%, while Smith tops the league in offensive rebounds with 4.62 per game.
Last time out, Troy defeated Gardner-Webb, 61-59. The Bulldogs had two players in double-digits with Smith leading the way with 21 points. Following Smith was Blackman who had 14 points. Smith also led the team in rebounds with eight, while Katie Gravel had five assists and two steals.
This will be the fifth and final time that UCF and Gardner-Webb meet on the basketball court as Atlantic Sun rivals with the Golden Knights leading the series 4-0. UCF and Gardner-Webb last played on January 15, 2005 at the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center in Boiling Springs, N.C. with the Golden Knights defeating the Bulldogs, 69-65.
Tickets for Thursday's game are still available. Adults are $5. Youth age 17 and under and seniors age 55 and older pay $3. Children under five and UCF students with a valid UCF student I.D. are admitted free. Tickets for all Golden Knights women's basketball games are available at the door and by calling (407) UCF-GOLD.