Dec. 16, 2006
Women's Basketball Game Notes for Holiday Classic in PDF Format
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team returns to UCF Arena to serve as host for the annual UCF Holiday Classic on Monday, Dec. 18 and Tuesday, Dec. 19. This year's tournament features in-state rivals North Florida and Florida A&M and Georgia State.
Play opens Monday with GSU taking on FAMU followed by the Golden Knights against UNF. Tuesday opens with the Panthers facing the Ospreys at 5 p.m. before concluding with UCF vs. the Rattlerettes.
UCF is coming off its first road victory of the season as the team defeated Bethune-Cookman, 62-35, on Dec. 13. Senior forward Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./South Broward HS) sank a game-high 17 points and Francine Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) added 12 as the Golden Knights shot a season-best 46.2% from the floor. They limited B-CC to 26.4% from the field and also beat the hosts by a margin of 48-29 on the glass.
The victory over Bethune-Cookman marked the 100th win of UCF head coach Gail Striegler's career.
North Florida, the Golden Knights' opening round opponent, fell to 2-6 on the year after losing a 57-40 decision at Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 9. Despite the loss sophomores Jennifer Bowen and Jennifer Guldager finished the afternoon scoring in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Bowen, a guard, leads the team in scoring overall with seven points per game, while Guldager, a forward, is tops in rebounds with 5.8 per outing.
The Golden Knights and Ospreys are meeting for the first time on the hardwood, but it is the second time this season that UCF will face an Atlantic Sun Conference team.
Meanwhile, Florida A&M enters the UCF Holiday Classic with a record of 4-4 after posting three consecutive wins. Most recently, the Rattlerettes upended Mercer 65-55 in Macon, Ga. on Dec. 9. behind an 18-point effort from freshman guard Marke Freeman. Junior guard Q'Vaunda Curry leads FAMU as she averages 14.3 points per outing, while sophomore guard Diedra Jones is the team's top rebounder with 8.3 per contest.
Although the Rattlerettes hold a 16-5 lead in the series history, UCF has won the last two - including a 62-54 victory during the 2005 UCF Golden Knights Classic. Houston had a team-high 16 points in that contest.
The tournament's final team, Georgia State evened its record at 4-4 after a 90-46 win over Savannah State on Dec. 9. In that contest, sophomore guard Brittany Hollins sank a career-high 22 points, but freshman guard Danyiell McKeller leads the team overall with 13.3 points per game as she is one of three GSU players averaging double figures in scoring.
Tickets for the UCF Holiday Classic and other home contests are available by calling (407) UCF-1000. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.