Jan. 7, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After posting a victory in its Conference USA opener against Southern Miss, the UCF women's basketball team will look for two-game winning streak at 8 p.m. eastern time Thursday night at Memphis. UCF, now 3-11 overall and 1-0 in C-USA play, was one of four teams in the league to win its league opener last Saturday, and will look to keep the unblemished conference record in the first of a three-game road trip.
Knights' fans unable to make it to the game can listen to a live audio internet broadcast beginning at approximately 7:40 p.m. The audio broadcast, through Stretch Audio Internet, can be heard free of charge at http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/multimedia/ucf-wbb-stretch-sched.html. Fans can also access a live video stream via Knights' All-Access.
The two teams split their meetings a season ago, with the Knights winning the last meeting, the regular-season finale a season ago at Memphis, 81-69. Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) averaged 17 points in the two games against the Tigers.
Memphis fell at home against UAB in its first C-USA game, 71-62. Leading scorers Paris Leonard and Ashley Thornton each scored 15 points for the Tigers in the loss. Leonard leads the Tigers in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game, and the senior tallied 24 combined points against the Knights a season ago. Thornton, a 6-foot senior, is adding 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Cannon continues to lead the team in scoring (14.3) and rebounding (9.9) and has averaged 18 points per game over the last four outings. The 6-foot-2 forward is averaging 14.1 rebounds per 40 minutes. Sophomore Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) has scored in double figures in six-straight games, averaging 18.5 points per game over that stretch.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: UCF leads the all-time series with Memphis 4-3, with a 4-2 edge while both teams were members of C-USA. The Knights have won two of the three games at Memphis, including an 81-69 decision on March 1, 2008. Cannon had 20 points and nine rebounds in the game for UCF.
? FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: UCF earned a couple of school first in dispatching Southern Miss Saturday. It was the Knights' first win in 13 all-time meetings with the Golden Knights, and the victory also marked the program's first in four C-USA openers since joining the league. Each of the openers has been played against Southern Miss.
? PLAYING THE BEST: As of Sunday, Jan. 4, the Knights' schedule ranked as the eighth-toughest nationally, behind only Stanford, Tennessee, Illinois, Hartford, Michigan, Iowa and Oregon, according to The College Basketball News women's basketball RPI ratings.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon is ranked in the top-30 nationally in a couple of major statistical categories. After hitting 16-of-23 shots, she is currently 29th in the country in field goal percentage. The 6-foot-2 forward is also 30th in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game.
? TIGER TURNED KNIGHTS: Jessica Hall, a former Memphis player who graduated from the school in the spring of 2008, enrolled in graduate school at UCF and will be eligible to compete for the Knights in 2009-10 after sitting out this season. Hall scored 21 points in both of the UCF-Memphis games a season ago.
? ON THE ROAD IN C-USA: UCF has a 4-20 record all-time in C-USA openers, including an 0-3 record in road openers.
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.