Jan. 30, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - When the UCF women's basketball team takes the court on Thursday at 7 p.m. vs. Marshall, it will be embarking on a rare four-game conference homestand that includes home contests against East Carolina (Feb. 2), UAB (Feb. 7) and Memphis (Feb. 9).
It marks just the second time since the team joined Conference USA prior to the 2005-06 campaign that the Knights will play host to four consecutive C-USA games. The Knights played four straight league contests during the 2005-06 season, spanning from Jan. 13, 2006 to Jan. 22, 2006. UCF went 2-2 during that stretch.
In the program's history, beginning with the 1977-78 season, UCF has only played four consecutive conference home contests on five occasions. Those homestands included stints in the New South Women's Athletic Conference and the American South Conference. The team's four-game conference homestands are detailed below.
Season Conference Span Gm. 1 Gm. 2 Gm. 3 Gm. 41985-86 NSWAC 2/20-3/1 Ga. St. (L) FAMU (L) Mercer (L) Stetson (W)1988-89 NSWAC 1/7-1/16 Ga. St. (L) Mercer (W) Stetson (L) FIU (L)1989-90 NSWAC 1/27-2/5 FAMU (L) Ga. Sou. (L) Mercer (W) Ga. St. (L)1990-91 Am. South 2/14-2/23 Ark. St. (L) La. Tech (L) UNO (W) La.-Lafayette (W)2005-06 C-USA 1/13-1/27 Tulane (W) UTEP (W) Marshall (L) ECU (L)
UCF's Upcoming Homestand
Jan. 31 - vs. Marshall - 7 p.m.
Feb. 2 - vs. East Carolina - 5 p.m.
Feb. 7 - vs. UAB - 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 - vs. Memphis - 5 p.m.
Akers on CoSIDA Academic All-District Ballot
Junior center Jackie Akers (Cape Coral, Fla.) is on the 2007-08 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Ballot that was issued Tuesday morning.
The Academic All-District team is voted on by sports information directors in UCF's district - District 3, which comprises the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or an important reserve on her team with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average for her collegiate career. No athlete is eligible until he/she has reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at her institution.
The Academic All-District teams will be announced Thursday, Feb. 7.
Akers has played in 10 games with four starts, having set out nine games with an injury. Despite playing in just 10 games, she leads the team in blocks with 18 this season. She has returned full force, starting the last four consecutive games and is averaging 18.7 minutes per game.
Upon graduation and completion of her eligibility, Akers, a legal studies major, intends to attend law school and has contemplated a career in family law.
Cannon, UCF Bench A Spark in Last Three Games
Strong bench play has been a key factor for UCF in each of its last three games. During that span, the Knights' reserves have outscored the opponent bench 92-48. UCF's bench has outscored the opponent reserves 11 times during the course of the season.
One of the main reasons for UCF's recent bench success is freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.). Cannon, who has started 14 games for the Knights this season, has come off the bench in the Knights' last three outings, twice leading the team in scoring during that stretch. Cannon had a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds vs. Houston on Jan. 17 and led three UCF players in double figures against Southern Miss last Friday with 12 points and seven boards.
UCF will play host to the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Tournament, March 6-9, at the new UCF Arena. Single-game and session ticket packages are now available. Call the UCFAA Ticket Sales Office at 407-823-1000. 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.