Jan. 25, 2007
Women's Basketball Notes at UTEP in PDF Format
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - After a three-game homestand, the UCF women's basketball team (6-13, 1-5) hits the road for a three-game swing that includes visits to Conference USA rivals in Texas and Louisiana. The Golden Knights kick off the trip at UTEP (15-3, 4-2) on Friday, Jan. 26 at 9:05 (et) then travel to Tulane (15-4, 4-2) on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. (et).
Seniors Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./South Broward HS) and Francine Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) continue to be impact players on the Golden Knights' offense.
A forward, Miles has scored in double digits 12 different times and recorded five double-doubles. She is second on the team and 14th in conference as she averages 12.7 points per game. She also ranks among C-USA top 10 in several other categories, including 10th in rebounds (6.9 per game), eighth in field goal percentage (48.4%) and third in offensive rebounds (3.47 per game).
The leading scorer in 10 of the team's 18 games, Houston, a guard, has averaged a team-high 13 points per contest, an effort that also ranks 12th among all C-USA players. She continues to be prolific from behind the arc as she has hit 44 of 122 three-point attempts (36.1%). In the conference, she also ranks eighth in three-point shooting percentage and third in three-pointers made per game (2.32).
UTEP enters the weekend with the best overall record in C-USA at 15-3 but sits in fourth place in the conference standings with a 4-2 mark against league rivals. The Miners started the season with four straight victories then won a school-record 10 consecutive games from the end of November until the middle of January when they dropped a 70-59 decision to SMU. Their most recent game resulted in an 81-56 loss at Tulane on Jan. 20.
Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Keitha Green, UTEP boasts the conference's best offense, averaging of 73.8 points per game and also owns the best scoring defense, allowing only 59.4 points per outing. Four Miners rank among C-USA top 30 scorers, including freshman guard Jareica Hughes with a team-high 12.1 points a game. Freshman forward Timika Williams is the team's leading rebounder with 7.2 per game.
The series between UCF and UTEP is tied at 1-1 after the Golden Knights earned a 51-46 victory in front of a record home crowd of 1,182 on Jan. 15, 2007. Junior guard Amber Long (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork HS) scored a team-high 12 points, while Miles added 10 for the Golden Knights.
UTEP won the first meeting, 80-56, in Orlando, Fla. on Dec. 18, 1997.
The Golden Knights are back on the road on Thursday, Feb. 1 at SMU for an 8 p.m. tip-off before returning home to play host to Tulsa on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 1 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.