Feb. 16, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
GREENVILLE, N.C. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball closes its two-game, three-day road swing on Sunday when it faces East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. Tip-off in Minges Coliseum is slated for 2 p.m. and the game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams on the call.
The Knights (8-16, 1-10 Conference USA) are coming off of a narrow 71-64 loss to Marshall on Friday evening in Huntington, W.Va. The Thundering Herd made 26-of-35 free throws and out-rebounded UCF 45-38 to take the win. Freshman guard Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) scored a team-high 15 points to lead five Knights who scored in double figures on Friday. Freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) notched her 11th double-double of the season with 11 points and a squad-best 10 boards. The Knights showed strong improvement in their ball handling vs. Marshall, recording a season-low 12 turnovers.
UCF meets East Carolina (11-13, 5-6 C-USA) for the second time this season after the Lady Pirates used a strong presence on the boards to break open a close game and defeat the Knights 80-66 on Feb. 2 in the New UCF Arena.
"ECU is a team that we fought hard with at our place," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We were in the game, but we just weren't able to get stops at critical times. We feel like we can compete with any team in the league and we are looking forward to facing East Carolina again on Sunday."
Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.), the nation's fourth-leading rebounder, leads three UCF players who average double-figure point totals with 12.6 ppg. She leads Conference USA with 11.7 rebounds per game as one of three league players averaging a double-double on the year. Cannon, the fourth-leading rebounder in C-USA, follows with 11.8 ppg and 9.3 rpg, while White adds 11.3 ppg.
As a team, UCF ranks first in Conference USA in rebound margin with a +5.2 edge on the boards. The Knights have out-rebounded their opponents in 15 games this season. They are also second in the conference in rebounding offense with 42.4 boards per game.
The Knights and Lady Pirates meet for the sixth time in school history on Saturday with ECU holding a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series.
East Carolina is coming off a 68-63 win against Southern Miss on Friday in Greenville. The Lady Pirates have won five of their last seven games with the win against the Lady Eagles snapping a two-game losing skid by ECU. Senior forward Nicole Days, the team's leading rebounder, notched her third career double-double in the team's last game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard LaCoya Terry had a squad-best 18 points in 35 minutes of action.
Terry leads the way for ECU, averaging 14.8 ppg, which ranks her fourth in Conference USA in scoring. Fellow guard Jasmine Young adds 14.6 ppg. Days is the team's leader on the boards with 7.5 rpg, which ranks seventh in the league.
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.
Quick Notes
- UCF and East Carolina meet for the sixth time in school history with the Lady Pirates leading the all-time series 5-0. ECU won an 80-66 decision against the Knights earlier this season on Feb. 2.
- As a team, UCF ranks first in Conference USA in rebound margin with a +5.2 edge on the boards. The Knights have out-rebounded their opponents in 15 games this season. They are also second in the conference in rebounding offense with 42.4 boards per game.
- UCF has held 22 of its 24 opponents this season to 50 percent shooting or less, including 13 of its last 14.
- The Knights have placed at least two players in double-figure scoring in every game this season. Three or more UCF players have scored in double-figures on 19 occasions this year. Five Knights recorded double-figure point totals in Friday's loss at Marshall.
- The Knights lead Conference USA in double-doubles by a team with 25. Tia Lewis has notched a squad-best 14 double-dips on the year, while Emma Cannon has accomplished the feat 11 times this season.
- UCF committed a season-low 12 turnovers vs. Marshall on Friday night.
- Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis is the only player to start in each of the team's 24 games this season.
- Lewis has charted seven or more rebounds in each of the team's 24 games this year.