Dec. 15, 2005
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ORLANDO - After playing five consecutive games on the road during the past month, the UCF women's basketball team (1-6) returns home to host the annual UCF Holiday Classic this weekend. The tournament opens Friday at 3 p.m. when Troy (4-1) takes on UT-Arlington (3-3) followed by the Golden Knights squaring off against Central Michigan (6-0). Competition concludes Saturday with Troy facing CMU at 5 p.m. and UCF vs. UTA at approximately 7 p.m.
The Golden Knights are coming off a disappointing 59-55 loss at Troy on Dec. 11. After going down by as much as 14 points in the first half, UCF cut the deficit 28-27 at intermission then took its first lead at 16:46 of the second period. Troy stalled the Golden Knights rally with 3:36 remaining to play and held onto the lead down the stretch.
Tickets are still available for both days of the classic. Adults are $5, while youth (ages 6-17) and seniors (55 and older) are $3. Children 5 and under and UCF students with valid ID are admitted free. Als,o anyone bringing a new, unwrapped toy will also be admitted free of charge. Toys will be donated to XL106.7's Baby DJ Fund.
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN... The Chippewas boast a perfect 6-0 record entering the weekend at the UCF Holiday Classic. Led by junior forward Ann Skufca, who recorded her second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, CMU dropped Valparaiso, 55-49, in its most recent contest on Dec. 9. With 14.5 points per game, Skufca is one of three players in double figures as senior forward Casidy Myers and junior guard Sharonda Hurd have scored 11.7 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. On the boards, Skufca has averaged a team-high nine rebounds.
Central Michigan boasts an 18.3 scoring margin, which ranks first in the Mid-American Conference and 18th in the nation.
THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN... Friday's game between the Golden Knights and Chippewas marks the first meeting between the two schools. The Chippewas are making the program's first ever trip to the Sunshine State.
SCOUTING UT-ARLINGTON... UTA brings a 3-3 record to Orlando after dropping a 73-61 decision at Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Four Mavericks finished in double figures in the loss, including sophomore Maryann Abanobi with a team-high 14 points.
Leading the UTA offense is junior guard Terra Wallace. Although limited to eight points against the Bearcats, she is still averaging 18.8 points per outing. On the boards, senior center Melanie Lane tops the Mavericks with 6.3 per game.
THE SERIES VS. UT-ARLINGTON... UCF holds a 1-0 series lead against UTA after beating the Mavericks, 69-55, in the first round of the Golden Knights Classic on Nov. 16, 2001.
GOLD SMITH... Shayla Smith has made the most of her final season with the Black & Gold. The senior guard is currently second on the team, averaging 10.9 points per game, after scoring a career-high 18 points at Troy on Dec. 11.
More than that, Smith has made her presence known in the conference as she tops all players with the best assist/turnover ratio (6.25) and three-point field goal percentage (66.7%). She is also fourth in field goal percentage (57.1%).
LENDING A HAND... Senior guards Shayla Smith and LaShay King will each be leaving their mark in the UCF record books at the end of the season. Both are ranked on the school's list for most assists in a career. Adding a team-high 33 helpers to her 194 from the previous three years, King sits in eighth with 227.
Prior to the start of this season, Smith appeared on the list at ninth with 219 assists. With 25 assists this season, she now has 244 during her career and has jumped to sixth place all-time at UCF. Her next hurdle is Brinda Green's fifth place mark of 257 assists.
Among conference players, King is listed third with 4.71 assists per game, while Smith is eighth at 3.57.
HOUSTON ROCKET... Junior guard Francine Houston has stepped up to lead the UCF offense early in the season. She continues to be the team's leading scorer in each outing and tops the stat sheet with 18.4 points per game. Through games of Dec. 14, Houston was third in the conference in scoring, while she was first in three-point field goals made (3.7), an effort that also ranks second in the nation.
In two games against Butler and Princeton in the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic, Houston averaged 23 points and earned all-tournament team honors for her performance. Against the Tigers, she went 7-for-10 (70%) from behind the arc to tie UCF's record for most three-pointers made in a single game. She also sank 23 points at Santa Clara on Nov. 28.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE... Two Golden Knights have already recorded double-doubles early in the 2005-06 season. Senior forward Shelby Weber posted her third career double-double when she scored 14 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds against Butler in the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 25.
Not to be outdone by her teammate, junior forward Juliana Gomes earned the first double-double of her career three days later as she had a career night with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Santa Clara.
COMING OUT OF HER SHELL... Named one of Conference USA's Players to Watch, senior forward Shelby Weber is certainly proving that the moniker was well-earned as she has already begun to make a mark this year. Weber currently leads UCF on the boards, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game, which ranks her 10th in the conference. She is also putting up 7.6 points per outing.
Weber also leads the team in blocks with nine and is ranked fourth in C-USA with 1.29 per outing.
FOREIGN POLICY... Junior forward Juliana Gomes, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is the first foreign-born player to don the Black & Gold jersey during head coach Gail Striegler's tenure. The last international members of the UCF women's basketball team were Scandinavians Anu Mahlamaeki, Vukko Timola and Frida Stromquist, who played during the 1997-98 season.
Gomes has started the last four contests and is averaging 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
PERFECT STRANGERS... Of the 23 opponents on the 2005-06 schedule, UCF will be meeting 11 of them for the first time in program history. Among them are six Conference USA rivals (Houston, Rice, East Carolina, Memphis, Tulsa and SMU) as well as opponents West Virginia, Princeton, Santa Clara, Central Michigan and Quinnipiac.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN... The Golden Knights logged some serious travel miles before returning to Orlando for the UCF Holiday Classic this weekend. After opening the season with the Golden Knights Classic, the team flew to Northern California, where it spent Thanksgiving in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic then took on Santa Clara on Nov. 28 prior to returning home.
On Dec. 4, the Black & Gold visited Florida State. They finished the road swing with a trip to Alabama, where they squared off against former A-Sun rival Troy on Dec. 11.
ON THE TUBE... UCF will have two games broadcast on television this season. The Dec. 4 match-up at Florida State was carried live by Sun Sports, while CSTV is set to broadcast UCF's Jan. 15 contest against UTEP, marking the first time that a Golden Knights' game will be nationally televised.
OPENING NIGHT SUCCESS... With the victory over FAMU, the Golden Knights improved to 5-2 in season openers since head coach Gail Striegler took the helm during the 1999-2000 season.
POLLING STATION... In its first season in Conference USA, UCF was chosen to finish sixth of 12 teams by the league coaches in the preseason poll. Rice was picked to capture the title with seven first place votes followed by crosstown rival Houston in second with five first place votes. SMU was third with Marshall and Tulsa rounding out the top five.