Dec. 27, 2005
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ORLANDO, Fla. - The UCF women's basketball team welcomes Quinnipiac to town Wednesday, Dec. 28 with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The Golden Knights enter the game with a 2-8 season record, while the Bobcats own a 4-3 mark.
The Golden Knights are coming off an 82-72 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 20. Senior forward Shelby Weber led the Golden Knights with her fourth career double-double when she scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds. Senior guard LaShay King had a career-high 10 assists against the Hurricanes.
SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC... The Bobcats enter the game against UCF with a 4-3 record. Quinnipiac defeated Syracuse, 67-63, Dec. 22 on the road. Sophomore forward Monique Lee recorded 20 points with seven rebounds, while Erin Kerner and Brianna Rooney were each in double-digits with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Averaging 18.0 points per game, Lee is one of two players in double figures as Kerner is averaging 11.3 points per game. On the boards, Lee has averaged a team-high 8.2 rebounds.
THE SERIES VS. QUINNIPIAC... This is the first time that UCF and Quinnipiac have met on the hardwood.
CONFERENCE USA DEBUT... The UCF Golden Knights make their Conference USA debut Saturday, Dec. 31 against Southern Miss. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at UCF Arena. Southern Miss leads the all-time series 5-0. The Golden Knights and Golden Eagles last met on Nov. 26, 2004 in Orlando with Southern Miss walking away with the 59-54 victory. Claudia Johnson paced UCF with 16 points, while Ali Roberts had nine rebounds.
PACK THE HOUSE... The Golden Knights want to "Pack the House" with fans Sunday, Jan. 15 when the UTEP Miners come to town for UCF's first ever nationally televised game. CSTV will air the game live which is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
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 9.6 points per game after scoring a career-high 18 points at Troy Dec. 11.
More than that, Smith has made her presence known in the conference rankings as she tops all league players with the best assist/turnover ratio (3.36) and three-point field goal percentage (60.9%).
LENDING A HAND... Senior guards Shayla Smith and LaShay King will each be leaving their mark on 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 44 helpers to her 194 from the previous three years, King sits in eighth with 238.
Prior to the start of this season, Smith appeared on the list in ninth with 219 assists. With 37 assists this season, she now has 256 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 sixth with 3.78 assists per game, while Smith is seventh at 3.56.
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 17.3 points per game. Through games of Dec. 22, Houston was third in the conference in scoring, while she was first in three-point field goals made (3.50), an effort that also ranks fourth 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. Weber picked up her fourth career double-double against in-state rival Miami on Dec. 20 with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Not to be outdone by her teammate, junior forward Juliana Gomes earned the first double-double of her career against Santa Clara on Nov. 28 when she had a career night with 11 points and 10 rebounds.