March 1, 2008
2008 Conference USA Bracket in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The 12th-seeded UCF women's basketball team will face off with fifth-seeded Southern Miss on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the New UCF Arena in the first round of the C-USA Tournament, hosted by UCF, the league office in Irving, Texas, announced late Saturday night.
The Knights (10-19, 3-13 Conference USA) have recorded their best season in three years, as UCF reached the 10-win plateau for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign with an 81-69 victory at Memphis earlier on Saturday.
"This time of the season is very exciting and the postseason is something that our young team has never experienced," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We are excited about another opportunity to play Southern Miss. We know that they are a physical and aggressive team, and it's going to be important that we match their intensity for 40 minutes."
The Knights sport two of the league's top freshmen in Tia Lewis and Emma Cannon. Lewis, a forward/center, is the nation's fifth-leading rebounder with 11.6 boards per game. She also averages 12.0 ppg for a double-double. Cannon adds 11.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg. As a team, UCF tops the league with a +4.5 rebounding margin and ranks fourth in field goal percentage, hitting .411.
Southern Miss (14-15, 10-6) is averaging 72.8 points and 39.4 rebounds, while shooting a league-best 46.7 percent from the field and 76.2 percent from the line. Sophomore Pauline Love continues to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging one of only two double-doubles in the league with 16.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg. She also tops the conference with 18 double-doubles on the season. Junior transfer guard Andrea Barber leads the team and the conference in assists with 6.5 per game.
The game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams and live stats also will be available at www.ucfathletics.com. The winner of that contest will play fourth-seeded Houston at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
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.