March 4, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team earned three All-Conference USA honors on Tuesday, as the annual all-conference teams were announced by the league offices in Irving, Texas. Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) was named to the third team and the all-freshman team, while freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) earned all-freshman team honors.
Conference USA women's basketball coaches, sports information directors and selected media members comprised the 36-member voting panel to determine the 2007-08 all-conference selections.
"I am excited for both Tia and Emma," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "They have been so instrumental to our success this season. They have been a great presence in the paint, and have had such a willingness to work hard and do everything that we have asked them to do. They are very deserving of these awards. Tia breaking the single-season rebounding record was huge for her and huge for our team. I know that they know these are team awards, because they couldn't have done what they did without their teammates. They are going to continue to get better, and have the potential to be two of the best post players ever to play at UCF."
Lewis, the nation's fourth-leading rebounder, is the only UCF player to start in each of the team's 29 regular-season games. She is the Knights' leading scorer, averaging 12.0 points per game - which is tied for 17th in the league, and the conference's leading rebounder with 11.6 boards per game. Lewis currently ranks second in the nation in double-doubles by a freshman with 14 double-dips on the campaign. She is one of only two Conference USA players to average a double-double on the season.
In last Saturday's win in the regular-season finale at Memphis, Lewis broke the school's all-time single-season rebounding record with 336 boards so far in the 2007-08 campaign. She is the conference's leading freshman scorer and rebounder and has tallied double-figure point totals in 20 games this season. Lewis has led the team in rebounding on a squad-best 22 occasions this season and has brought down seven or more boards in each of the team's 29 regular-season games, including double-figure rebounds in 19 contests.
Lewis ranks first on the team and second in the league with a .534 field-goal efficiency percentage (149-of-279), and is fifth in Conference USA in minutes played, averaging 34.59 minutes per game.
In league games only, Lewis averages 11.4 rebounds per game. She is first in the conference with 3.88 offensive rebounds per game and second in defensive rebounds per game with 7.50. Lewis is averaging 35.31 minutes in conference games only and has played 38 or more minutes in eight games this year. She has played a full game on three occasions, including a career-high 45 minutes in an overtime game vs. Marshall on Jan. 31.
Cannon has played in each of the team's 29 games this season with 22 starts. She is third on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game, and second on the team and fourth in Conference USA with 8.6 rebounds per game. Cannon is fourth in the NCAA in double-doubles by a freshman with 11 double-dips on the year. She has scored in double figures on 21 occasions this year and has eclipsed the 20-point plateau four times. Cannon is the team's second-leading scorer in conference games only, averaging 11.6 ppg.
Cannon has brought down seven or more rebounds in 19 of the team's 29 games and averages 7.3 rebounds per game - seventh in the league - in conference games only. She has brought down double-digit rebounds on 13 occasions this year and has led the team on the boards in seven games this year.
Cannon is the team's third-leading free-throw shooter (min 50 atts.) with a .646 clip (95-of-147) and is the team's top free-throw shooting post player. She has been to the charity stripe (147) more times than any other UCF player this season and put together a streak of 11 consecutive free throws, spanning four games, late in the season.
In the seven games that Cannon did not start this season, she provided a key spark off the bench, scoring in double figures in six of those games and leading the team in scoring on three occasions during that stretch. She is second on the team in blocked shots with 21 swats on the season and has led or tied for the team lead in blocks in 13 contests.
Conference USA will announce its Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in a press release that is scheduled to be issued during the day on Wednesday.
Cannon, Lewis and the Knights, seeded 12th, return to action on Thursday when they play host to fifth-seeded Southern Miss in the opening round of the Conference USA women's basketball tournament. Tip-off in the New UCF Arena is slated for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be carried live on UCFAthletics.com with Scott Adams.
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.
2007-08 All-Conference USA Teams (Tuesday, March 4, 2008)
All-Conference USA First Team
Janielle Dodds (SMU) F/C 6-3 Sr. Fairfax, Va./West SpringfieldJareica Hughes (UTEP) G 5-3 So. Southfield, Mich./Southfield-LathrupPauline Love (Southern Miss) F 6-0 So. Luxora, Ark./Jones County JCTwiggy McIntyre (Houston) G 5-5 Jr. Sapulpa, Okla./Kansas StateDiamond Rogers (UAB) F 5-11 Sr. Jackson, Miss./Murrah
All-Conference USA Second Team
Valeriya Berezhynska (Rice) C 6-4 Sr. Miami, Fla./Northwest Christian AcademyNatasha Lacy (UTEP) G 5-10 Sr. El Paso, Texas/TCUIzabela Piekarska (UTEP) C 6-5 Sr. Warszawa, Poland/SMS SportLaCoya Terry (East Carolina) G 5-10 Jr. Hephzibah, Ga./HephzibahJasmine Young (East Carolina) G 5-5 Jr. Richmond, Va./Monacan
All-Conference USA Third Team
Tye Jackson (Houston) G 5-10 Sr. Houston, Texas/PurdueAshley Langford (Tulane) G 5-5 Jr. Harrisburg, Pa./HarrisburgTia Lewis (UCF) F/C 6-3 Fr. Poulan, Ga./Worth CountyCrystal McFadden (UAB) G 5-10 Sr. New York, N.Y./Murry BergtraumLarissa Williams (Tulsa) F/C 6-3 So. Little Rock, Ark./RobinsonDelisha Willis (SMU) F 5-10 So. Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%3Cu%3EAll-Conference%20USA%20Freshman%20Team%3C/u%3E%3C/strong%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3C/p%3E%3Cpre%3E%3Cahref="http: ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/cannon_emma00.html"="">Emma Cannon (UCF) F 6-2 Fr. Rochester, N.Y./School of the ArtsCobilyn Hill (Houston) C 6-3 Fr. Houston, Texas/EisenhowerTia Lewis (UCF) F/C 6-3 Fr. Poulan, Ga./Worth CountyAmanda Peterson (UAB) G 5-10 Fr. Homewood, Ala./HomewoodCourtney Taylor (Houston) G/F 6-0 Fr. Crockett, Texas/Crockett="https://ucfknights.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
All-Conference USA Defensive Team
Casey Baker (Marshall) G 5-8 Jr. Bradenton, Fla./Lincoln TrailChanel Johnson (Tulsa) F/C 6-3 Jr. Tulsa, Okla./AlabamaNatasha Lacy (UTEP) G 5-10 Sr. El Paso, Texas/TCUSharee Shepherd (SMU) G 5-10 Sr. Houston, Texas/DobieJasmine Young (East Carolina) G 5-5 Jr. Richmond, Va./Monacan --UCFAA--