Jan. 30, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team continues its season-long four-game homestand Saturday at 6 p.m., hosting Marshall at UCF Arena for the 10K Gold Rush. General admission tickets for the C-USA tilt, which will tip-off at 6 p.m., will be offered to UCF fans for just $1.00, giving fans an inexpensive opportunity to watch a Knights' team battling near the top of the league standings.
The Knights and the Thundering Herd are tied in third place in the C-USA standings at 5-2, just a game back of SMU and Southern Miss.
In addition, the first 500 Knights' fans at the game against the Thundering Herd will receive a free 10K Gold Rush t-shirt upon arrival. UCF is encouraging all fans coming to the game to wear gold in support of the Knights. UCF students also get in free with a student I.D.
UCF Arena has been good to the Knights in conference play, where the team is 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 14 points per game. Most recently, UCF dispatched East Carolina 83-72 on Thursday behind four players in double figures. Sophomore Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) led the way with 22 points, and sophomore Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) and freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) both posted double-doubles.
Patrick was tremendous, falling just two rebounds short of a triple-double with 16 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Cannon added 17 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season.
Marshall will provide another tough test for head coach Joi Williams' team. On Thursday, the Herd fell behind early at Southern Miss and trailed by 17 at the break before rallying to take the lead in the second half. The league-leading Golden Eagles finally pulled away from the visiting Herd 70-64, handing Marshall just its second C-USA loss.
Cannon continues to average a double-double (15.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg) and lead UCF in both categories. Tynikki Crook averages 14.0 points per game to lead Marshall.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: Marshall leads the series with UCF 6-1 with wins in each of the four games played in Orlando. Last season on the same date at UCF Arena, Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) sent the game into overtime with a midcourt shot at the buzzer, but Marshall won 77-75.
? AHEAD OF THE PAST: With its 83-72 win over ECU Thursday, UCF matched the program record for most wins in C-USA play. The Knights have surpassed the win total from each of the previous two seasons.
? SENSATIONAL FRESHMAN: Patrick more than held her own against two of the best guards in the conference Thursday night against ECU. Seniors Jasmine Young and LaCoya Terry have both scored well over 1,000 points in their careers, but Patrick was not intimidated and had the best game of her young career with 16 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes. She also helped limit Terry to just one point in the second half.
? HITTING THE BIG 5-0: With Thursday's game against ECU, Wiley, Cannon and fellow sophomores D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) and Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) hit the hardwood for the 50th time in their young careers. The quartet has combined to score 2,093 points and grab 931 rebounds in that span. Mealing is also slated to play her 50th game against Marshall.
? RECORD MARGIN: The 25-point margin of victory over Rice was UCF's largest win in a conference game since joining C-USA. The previous mark was also against Rice, a 68-49 victory in Houston a season ago.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon is currently ranked in the top-30 nationally in a couple of major statistical categories. She is 14th nationally in rebounds per game (10.4) and tied for eighth in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.8).
Season tickets for the UCF women's basketball program are currently on sale through the UCF ticket sales office. For more information about the arena's premium seating options, including club seats, group discounts, courtside tables and suites, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit the women's basketball ticket page at UCFAthletics.cstv.com/tickets/w-baskbl-tickets.html.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.