Jan. 3, 2007
Women's Basketball Notes at Marshall-ECU in PDF Format
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team looks for its first Conference USA victory of the season when the Golden Knights visit Marshall on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. before continuing their weekend road trip at East Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m.
The Golden Knights enter the weekend with a 5-9 overall record after losing their conference opener at Southern Miss, 58-57. On paper the two teams were nearly equal in shooting from the floor and the foul line, while they tied with 33 rebounds each. A three-pointer by Kendra Reed with four second remaining in regulation gave the host Golden Eagles the victory.
Senior guard Francine Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) led the team in scoring for the seventh time this season as she put up 16 points. She currently sits atop the Golden Knights' stat sheet with 12.4 points per game with classmate Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./South Broward HS) behind her with 12 points per outing.
UCF's opponents - Marshall and ECU - opened their conference slate by going head-to-head on Tuesday in Greenville, N.C. Led by sophomore guard Jessica Slack's game-high 16 points, East Carolina (6-8, 1-0) emerged with the 73-51 victory. Senior forward Cherie Mills added 15 points and a game-high eight boards, while sophomore guard Jasmine Young contributed 12 points and eight assists.
With the loss, Marshall fell to 8-6 overall and 1-1 in league play. Despite being held to eight points by the Lady Pirates, Ishola remains MU's top scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.1 points and 9.9 boards per contest. Freshman guard Alyssa Hammond is a threat from the perimeter as she averages 10 points per game.
With three previous meetings between UCF and Marshall, the Thundering Herd owns the advantage at 2-1. The two teams split the home-and-home series during the 2005-06 season. Marshall posted a 77-60 victory in Orlando, Fla. on Jan. 20 before UCF edged MU, 66-63 in Huntington, W.Va. on Feb. 24. The Thundering Herd also took a 78-77 win in Orlando, Fla. on Jan. 3, 1987.
Meanwhile, Mills is one of three Lady Pirates averaging double figures on the scoreboards this season, scoring 13.9 points per outing,. The 2005-06 C-USA Freshman of the Year, Young has recorded 13.4 points per contest and sophomore guard LeCoya Terry has posted 10.2 points per game.
UCF and East Carolina didn't meet on the hardwood before the Golden Knights joined C-USA in 2005. Last season, the Lady Pirates posted a 2-0 advantage in the series with a 68-63 win in Orlando and a 65-44 win in Greenville, N.C.
UCF head coach Gail Striegler has a strong connection to Marshall head coach Royce Chadwick, serving as an assistant for four years when he guided the women's basketball team at Stephen F. Austin. During that time, the Ladyjacks posted a 97-25 record and made four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1996. One of Striegler's former athletes and 2004 UCF graduate Adrienne "Ace" Billings joined Chadwick's staff this fall as an assistant.
Meanwhile, Striegler and East Carolina head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener also share a common link as both earned Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honors. Striegler was recognized in 2003 and 2005, while Baldwin-Tener won in 2002 when she guided the Mercer Bears.
UCF returns home to play UAB on Friday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. and Memphis on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets for 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.