Jan. 23, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Fresh off the largest Conference USA win in school history, the UCF women's basketball returns to the road when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., on Friday looking to avenge an early-season loss to Southern Miss. Tip-off in Reed Green Coliseum is slated for 8 p.m. EST and the game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams.
The Knights (8-10, 1-4 C-USA), who have already tied their win total from last season just 18 games into the campaign, are coming off their first league road win in nearly two seasons when they defeated Rice, 68-49, in Houston last Sunday. The 19-point margin of victory marked UCF's largest in a Conference USA game in school history. Freshman guard Jelisa Caldwell (Macon, Ga.) had a breakout game, scoring a career-high 20 points and was a career-best 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
"It's been 20 days since we played Southern Miss the first time and both teams obviously are going to be a little different," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We have a lot of respect for their players and what they are all capable of. Pauline Love is certainly one of the best players in the conference and we have got to do a better job in transition. We just have to go in and fight for 40 minutes and that's something that we didn't do the first time against Southern Miss."
Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) is the nation's second-leading rebounder for the second consecutive week, averaging 12.4 rebounds per game. She also is second on the team and tied for 10th in the conference in scoring with 13.3 ppg. Lewis also ranks first in the league and 17th in the nation in field-goal percentage, connecting on 58 percent (101-of-174) of her shots from the floor.
Freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) follows in the scoring column with 10.7 ppg, while freshmen guards Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) and D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta) follow with 10.4 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Cannon is the team's second-leading rebounder with 9.4 boards per game, while junior center Jackie Akers (Cape Coral, Fla.) leads the team in blocks with 16 swats.
"We've had several players who, on any given night, have gone for 20 points and have gotten a great amount of rebounds," Williams said. "Anybody on this team can do that and that's the exciting thing. It's exciting because our kids are growing up and learning that if one person is down, then other teammates can step up and do the job."
The Knights lead Conference USA and rank 14th in the nation in rebound margin with a +8.4 advantage. UCF has won the rebound battle in 13 games this season, including four consecutive. Additionally, the Knights have held 17 of their 18 opponents this season to 50 percent shooting or less, including eight consecutive.
UCF and Southern Miss meet for the 11th time in school history and the Knights will be looking for their first win against the Lady Eagles in series history. Southern Miss leads the all-time series between the two schools 10-0, including a 71-54 win against the Knights in this season's league opener in the New UCF Arena.
The Lady Eagles are 10-8 on the season overall and 1-4 in C-USA action. Southern Miss has lost its last four consecutive games since defeating the Knights in Orlando. The Lady Eagles are second in the league in scoring offense, averaging 72.6 points per game, which is 32nd in the NCAA. They are first in C-USA in field goal, three-point field goal and free-throw shooting percentages.
Sophomore forward Pauline Love leads Southern Miss, averaging 16.6 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per contest. She ranks second in Conference USA in scoring and is sixth in the nation in rebounding. Love is tied with UCF's Lewis for the Conference USA lead in double-doubles with 12. Junior point guard Andrea Barber is 17th in the country and second in C-USA, averaging 5.8 assists per game. She also is second in the conference and 30th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 1.92 ratio.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Quick Notes
- The Knights and the Lady Eagles meet for the 11th time in school history with Southern Miss holding a 10-0 advantage in the all-time series.
- As a team, UCF ranks first in Conference USA in rebounding offense with 44.2 boards per game, while also leading the league and ranking 14th in the nation in rebound margin with a +8.4 advantage. The Knights are tops in C-USA in rebounds on the defensive end with 28.83 per game.
- UCF has won the rebound battle in 13 games this season, including four consecutive.
- UCF has held 17 of its 18 opponents this season to 50 percent shooting or less, including eight consecutive.
- The Knights have held six of their last seven opponents to 45 percent shooting or less.
- UCF has placed two players in double-figure scoring every game this season.
- In 18 games this season, the Knights have used 10 different starting lineups.
- Balanced scoring has been a key for UCF this season as four of the team's top five scorers average in double figures and seven average five or more points per game.
UCF Head Coach Joi Williams Pre-Game Quotes
"It has been 20 days since we played Southern Miss the first time and both teams are obviously going to be a little different. We've made some improvements in some areas, as I'm sure they have as well. We have a lot of respect for their players and what they are capable of. Pauline Love certainly is one of the best players in the conference and we've got to do a better job in transition. Going on the road, that's going to be a tougher task, but we have to make sure that we defend and rebound."
On how UCF can build off Sunday's win against Rice in Houston...
"We just have to take the positive things and focus on the fact that we really did a great job on the defensive end at Rice. When you go on the road, you have to defend and you have to rebound. I think that our basketball team got a lot more confident on the defensive end and we were able to stick some shots. We just have to go in and fight for 40 minutes and that's something we didn't do the first time against Southern Miss."
On having different players step up to lead the team in different games...
"It's really important. We've had several players who, on any given night, have gone for 20 points and have gotten a great amount of rebounds. Anybody on this team can do that and that's the exciting thing. When we finally put that all together, we've got great potential. But until then, it's only potential. It's exciting because our kids are growing up and learning that if one person is down, then other teammates can step up and do the job."
On UCF going for its first-ever win against Southern Miss on Friday...
"We haven't really talked about the fact that we haven't beaten Southern Miss before. We're just trying to get better. We're talking about being able to prepare hard and then go out and compete and let that translate to the games. That's new for us at this level. We're going to work hard and try to correct the mistakes that we made in the first game with them and see what happens."