Feb. 7, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
UCF KNIGHTS
Record: 8-13, 1-7 C-USA
Ranking: NR/NR
Last Game: Lost to East Carolina, 80-66 (H)
Coach: Joi Williams (USF, `88)
Overall Record: 62-74 (5th Season)
Record at UCF: 8-13 (1st Season)
Record vs. UAB: Never Met
Series Record: UAB leads 8-1
UAB BLAZERS
Record: 10-11, 6-2 C-USA
Ranking: NR/NR
Last Game: Lost to Houston, 80-76 (OT)
Coach: Audra Smith (Virginia, '92)
Overall Record: 50-59 (4th Season)
Record at UAB: Same
Record vs. UCF: 4-0
The UCF women's basketball team looks to get back on the winning track on Thursday when it plays host to UAB in the third game of a four-game homestand. Tip-off in the New UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m. EST and the game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams on the call. Live statistics also will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
The game is being dubbed as the team's "Go Red" Game, in conjunction with Go Red for Women - the American Heart Association's movement empowering women to fight heart disease. All fans are encouraged to wear red to the game to support the Go Red for Women event.
The Knights are coming off an 80-66 loss to East Carolina last Saturday. Freshman guard Marshay White scored a team-high 20 points, eclipsing the 20-point plateau for the second time in her career. Freshman forward Emma Cannon followed in the scoring column with 12 points, adding seven rebounds, while freshman forward/center Tia Lewis, who is tied for second in the NCAA in rebounds, brought down a squad-best eight rebounds.
Lewis leads the team and ranks 12th in the conference in scoirng with 12.8 ppg, while leading the league in rebounds with 11.9 boards per game. She is one of only three players in Conference USA to average a double-double. Lewis leads the nation in double-doubles by a freshman and is tied for the conference lead in double-dips with 13 on the year. Cannon follows with 11.2 ppg and 9.3 rpg, while White adds 11.0 ppg.
UCF leads Confernece USA in rebounding margin with a +5.7 edge on the boards this season. The Knights have won the rebound battle in 13 games this season and have held 20 of 21 opponents this year to 50 percent shooting or less.
PROBABLE STARTERS
UCF2 - G D'Nay Daniels (5-10, Fr.) 9.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg3 - G Angelica Mealing (5-7, Fr.) 5.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg32 - C Jackie Akers (6-2, Jr.) 2.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg33 - F Marshay White (5-6, Fr.) 11.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg42 - F Tia Lewis (6-3, Fr.) 12.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg
UABG - 1 Crystal McFadden (5-10, Sr.) 13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpgG - 12 Diamond Rogers (5-11, Sr.) 18.0 ppg, 8.3 rpgG - 25 Britney Jones (5-7, Jr.) 11.3 ppg, 4.1 rpgF - 33 Brianna Berry (6-1, Jr.) 2.2 ppg, 2.9 rpgF/C - 50 Amanda Scott (6-2, So.) 4.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3ESCOUTING%20THE%20BLAZERS%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cul%20class="noindent"> UAB has won three of its last four games, having dropped an 80-76 decision to Houston at home on Sunday. The Blazers are 10-11 overall and are third in Conference USA with a 6-2 league mark. Senior guard Diamond Rogers is the leading scorer in Conference USA, averaging 18.0 ppg, while also adding a squad-best 8.3 rebounds per game. She became the newest member of the school's 1,000-point club on Sunday. Last week, she averaged 22.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 3.0 apg. Fellow back-court senior Crystal McFadden follows in the scoring column with 13.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg, while junior guard Britney Jones chips in 11.3 ppg.
SERIES RECORD
- The Knights and Blazers meet for the 10th time in school history, with UAB holding an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams have met four times since UCF joined Conference USA, with the Blazers going 4-0 in those contests. The Knights' lone win in the series came on Jan. 19, 1989 in Orlando, Fla., when UCF captured an 89-82 victory. The two teams last met on Feb. 15, 2007 - a 58-44 win by the Blazers on their home court in Birmingham, Ala.
THE COACHES
- UCF - Joi Williams is in her first season at the helm of the UCF program and the Golden Knights are 8-13 through 21 games. Williams comes to UCF after a successful career at Murray State University (Murray, Ky.), where she turned around the Racers program and led the team to a 15-5 Ohio Valley Conference record her final season and an appearance in the Women's NIT.
- UAB - Audra Smith, a 1992 graduate of the University of Virginia, is in her fourth season at the helm of the UAB program with a 50-59 record in that time. Last season, the Blazers earned an NIT berth, marking their first postseason appearance in six seasons as UAB advanced to the second round of the tournament.
GAME NOTES
Four-Game Homestand a Rarity for UCF Basketball
- When the UCF women's basketball team takes the court on Thursday, it will be tipping off the third game of a rare four-game conference homestand that concludes on Saturday with a 5 p.m. contest vs. Memphis.
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)2007-08 C-USA 1/31-2/9 Marshall (L-OT) ECU (L) UAB (2/7) Memphis (2/9)
Twenty-One Games, 12 Starting Lineups
- With 11 newcomers on the 2007-08 roster, the Knights have been searching for consistency in the starting lineup this season. In 21 games this year, Coach Joi Williams has used 12 different starting lineups with Tia Lewis being the only constant during that span. Here is the breakdown:
- Texas Tech: Cannon, Lewis, Mealing, Wiley, Caldwell (1)
- Coppin State: Cannon, Lewis, Mealing, Wiley, White (2)
- North Florida: Cannon, Lewis, Wiley, Caldwell, White (3)
- Rider: Cannon, Lewis, Wiley, Caldwell, White (3)
- La Salle: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Wiley, White (4)
- Bethune Cookman: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Wiley, White (5)
- Miami (Fla.): Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Wiley, White (5)
- Florida Gulf Coast: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Caldwell, White (6)
- Southeastern Louisiana: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Mealing, Caldwell (7)
- Appalachian State: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Mealing, Caldwell (7)
- UNC-Greensboro: Cannon, Lewis, Mealing, Wiley, White (2)
- Stetson: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Wiley, White (5)
- Southern Miss: Cannon, Lewis, Daniels, Wiley, White (5)
- SMU: Daniels, Mealing, Wiley, White, Lewis (8)
- Tulsa: Lewis, Akers, Daniels, Wiley, White (9)
- Houston: Lewis, Akers, Daniels, Wiley, White (9)
- Rice: Lewis, Akers, Daniels, Long, White (10)
- Southern Miss: Lewis, Akers, Daniels, Long, White (10)
- Marshall: Lewis, Akers, Long, Wiley, White (11)
- East Carolina: Lewis, Akers, Mealing, Wiley, White (12)
Hold `Em Defense, Hold `Em
- One of the main reasons that Coach Joi Williams' team has been successful this season is the fact that the Knights have turned up the defensive intensity. UCF has held 20 of its 21 opponents this season to 50 percent shooting or less.
- The Knights have held 11 opponents to under 40 percent shooting and have limited six of their last 10 opponents to 45 percent shooting or less.
- UCF is 5-0 this season when holding its opponents to 60 points or fewer.
Trends of the Wins
- In eight wins this season, UCF is averaging 72.1 ppg, while holding its opponents to 57.1 ppg. The Knights' scoring margin in their wins is +14.5. In 13 losses this season, UCF is averaging just 65.0 ppg, while allowing its opponents to score 76.5 ppg. The Knights' scoring margin in their losses is -11.5.
- In eight wins this season, UCF is averaging 47.9 rebounds per game and wining the rebound margin by +13.6 boards per game. In 13 losses, the Knights are averaging 39.5 boards per game with a +0.8 rebound margin.
- In eight wins, UCF is averaging 20.5 turnovers, while giving up 23.8 turnovers in 13 losses.
- In eight wins, the Knights are coming up with 9.3 steals per game, while coming up with just 8.4 swipes in 13 losses this season.
- In eight wins this season, UCF is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor. In 13 losses, the Knights are connecting on just 39.8 percent of their shots.
- In eight wins, the Knights are limiting their opponents to just 35.1 percent shooting. In 12 losses, UCF has allowed its opponents to connect on 44.0 percent of their shots.
A Change Will Do You Good
- The UCF women's basketball team's numbers are way up from year ago, which is making a difference in the win column for the Knights. Through 21 games this year, the Knights have increased their scoring by 10.6 points per game and their rebound margin has improved by 4.9 boards per game. A statistical comparison of last season and this season - through 21 games - is below.
Statistic 2006-07 (through 21) 2007-08 (through 21) DifferenceWins 6 8 +2Points Per Game 57.2 67.7 +10.5Rebounds Per Game 37.8 42.7 +4.9Rebounding Margin +0.5 +5.7 +5.2Shooting Percentage .369 .415 .046
Crowd Control
- While the UCF women's basketball team pushes to break the school's attendance record on Saturday vs. Memphis, the Knights have already drawn great attendance this season. In fact, in 12 home games this season, UCF has drawn four of the top 20 crowds in school history. Last Saturday's game with East Carolina marked the largest crowd in school history and just the second time in program annals that the Knights drew 1,000 or more fans for a single game.
Lewis, Cannon Causing Double Trouble for UCF Opponents
- Freshmen Emma Cannon and Tia Lewis have been prolific this season at racking up double-doubles. Lewis is tied for first in Conference USA with 13 double-doubles while Cannon is fourth in the league with nine double-dips. UCF leads all schools in the league with 22 total double-doubles on the year. The pair have combined to record double-doubles in the same game on six occasions this season. According to an unofficial poll by conference sports information directors, Lewis is the nation's leader in double-doubles by a freshman.
Conference USA 2007-08 Double-Double Leaders
T1. Tia Lewis (UCF) - 13
T1. Pauline Love (USM) - 13
3. Larissa Williams (Tulsa) - 11
4. Emma Cannon (UCF) - 9
5. Courtney Taylor (Houston) - 7
National Freshmen Double-Double Leaders
1. Tia Lewis (UCF) - 13
2. Ta'Shia Phillips (Xavier) - 12
3. Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) - 10
4. Emma Cannon (UCF) - 9
Tia Lewis Tied for Second in the Nation in Rebounding
- Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis currently ranks tied for second in the nation in rebounding, according to the latest national statistics released Tuesday by the NCAA offices in Indianapolis, Ind. Lewis also ranks 25th nationally in field-goal percentage and is the only Conference USA player to rank in the top 25 of two national statistical categories.
Lewis averages 11.9 rebounds per game this season and is one of only two players in Conference USA to average a double-double. She has recorded double-figure rebounds in 16 of the team's 21 games this season, including nine of the last 11 contests and 14 of her last 17. Lewis has been the team's leading rebounder in 15 games this season.
Lewis, who is the league's leading rebounder, is the only C-USA freshman to rank in the conference's top 11 in both scoring and rebounding. She averages a squad-best 13.0 ppg as one of three Knights who average in double-figure scoring.
National Rebounds Per Game Leaders
Rank Player School RPG1. Courtney Paris Oklahoma 15.2T2. Tia Lewis UCF 11.9T2. Tanya Smith Hawaii 11.94. Natalie Doma Idaho State 11.85. Khadijah Whittington N.C. State 11.6="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3EAkers%20Hosts%20Block%20Party%20for%20UCF%20Opponents%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3C/p%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cul%20class="noindent"> Junior center Jackie Akers, one of two veterans on this year's squad, sat out nine games earlier this season due to injury, but since she has returned, the Cape Coral, Fla., native has been hosting a block party for UCF opponents. Despite playing in just 12 of the team's 21 games this season, Akers leads the team in blocks with 1.7 rejections per game. Akers has posted at least two blocks in six of her last seven games, and has recorded three or more rejections in three of those games.
"Three Mania"
- UCF has hit a three-pointer in 17 consecutive games and 19 of 21 contests this season. The Knights have connected on six or more three pointers on seven occasions this season, including a season-high eight treys against Miami on Dec. 2, 2007.