March 4, 2008
• Watch UCF vs. Southern Miss Live (details)
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• C-USA Championship Central
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The 12th-seeded UCF women's basketball team begins its quest for the 2008 Conference USA Tournament Championship on Thursday when it plays host to fifth-seeded Southern Miss. 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.
The Knights (10-19, 3-13 Conference USA) closed out their 2007-08 regular season on a high note, notching an 81-69 at Memphis. That win gave UCF 10 wins for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign and two conference road wins for the first time since the 2005-06 season. The Knights look to become the first No. 12 seed in the Conference USA Tournament to upset a No. 5 seed in the first round since USF beat DePaul 82-69 in the first round of the 2000 league tournament, held at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.
UCF on Thursday looks to avenge two regular-season losses to Southern Miss, as the Lady Eagles defeated the Knights 71-54 in Orlando on Jan. 5, and notched an 84-62 win in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Jan. 25.
"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."
Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.), who on Tuesday was named an All-Conference USA third-team selection and a member of the all-freshman team, leads the way for the Knights, averaging 12.0 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. Lewis, who ranks fourth in the NCAA in rebounding, is the league's leading rebounder and is one of only two players in C-USA (Southern Miss' Pauline Love is the other) to average a double-double on the season. Lewis became the school's all-time single-season rebounds leader in the team's last game at Memphis, setting the record with 336 boards this season and surpassing the school's all-time career rebounds leader Tamika Coley, who brought down 325 rebounds in 1993-94.
Freshman guard Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.), the team's leading scorer in conference games only, ranks second on the team in scoring overall with 11.6 ppg and a squad-best 3.4 assists per game. Freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.), who on Tuesday was named to the league's all-freshman team, follows with 11.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg. The Knights benefit from balanced scoring as four players average double-figure point totals and the team's top seven scorers all average five or more points per game.
As a team, UCF leads Conference USA in rebounding margin with a +4.5 edge on the glass. The Knights rank second in the league in rebounding offense with 42.0 rebounds per game and UCF has out-rebounded its opponent in 19 of its 29 games this year.
UCF and Southern Miss meet for the 12th time in school history and the Knights will be looking for their first win against the Lady Eagles in series history. Southern Miss leads the all-time series between the two schools 11-0, including a 6-0 mark since UCF joined Conference USA prior to the 2005-06 season.
Fifth-seeded Southern Miss enters the Conference USA Tournament with a 17-12 overall record, including an 8-8 mark in league play. The Lady Eagles also are one of the top rebounding teams in the conference with a +3.8 rebounding margin, second in the league only to the Knights. USM leads the league in defensive rebounding with 35.6 defensive boards per game. Southern Miss also is second in C-USA in scoring offense, averaging 72.8 points per game.
The Eagles are led by sophomore forward Pauline Love, a 2007-08 All-Conference USA first-team selection. Love is the league's leading scorer, averaging 16.8 ppg, and is second in the conference in rebounding with 11.6 rpg. She has led her team in scoring a squad-best 15 times on the campaign. Sophomore center Stephanie Helgeson, a transfer from Big Ten power Purdue, follows with 12.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. She also ranks second in the conference with 74 blocks (2.64 bpg).
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 Southern Miss meet for the 12th time in school history and the Knights will be looking for their first win against the Lady Eagles in series history. Southern Miss leads the all-time series between the two schools 11-0, including a 6-0 mark since UCF joined Conference USA prior to the 2005-06 season.
- The Knights are looking for their first-ever win in a Conference USA Tournament game in school history. UCF is 0-2 all-time in C-USA Tournament games.
- The Knights look to become the first No. 12 seed in the Conference USA Tournament to upset a No. 5 seed in the first round since USF beat DePaul 82-69 in the first round of the 2000 league tournament, held in Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.
- As a team, UCF leads Conference USA in rebounding margin with a +4.5 edge on the glass. The Knights rank second in the league in rebounding offense with 42.0 rebounds per game and UCF has out-rebounded its opponent in 19 of its 29 games this year.
- 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 digits on 23 occasions this year.
- The Knights benefit from balanced scoring as four players average double-figure point totals and the team's top seven scorers all average five or more points per game.
- UCF players earned three honors when the All-Conference USA teams were announced on Tuesday morning. Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis was named to both the third team and the all-freshman team, while freshman forward Emma Cannon was earned all-freshman team honors.
- Lewis became UCF's all-time single-season rebounds leader last Saturday and holds the record with 336 boards so far this season.
- Lewis has led the team in rebounding on a squad-best 22 occasions this season.
- Lewis has brought down seven or more rebounds in each of the team's 29 games this year.