Feb. 13, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (UCFAthletics.com) - Sophomore Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half as UCF (11-13, 9-2 C-USA) broke away from a halftime tie and posted a 68-50 win over Marshall (12-12, 5-6 C-USA) Friday night in Conference USA women's basketball action at the Cam Henderson Center. The victory, the fifth-straight win for UCF, marked the beginning of a four-game road trip for the Knights.
The UCF victory, coupled with a Southern Miss loss at East Carolina, also puts the Knights in a tie atop the C-USA standings. The Golden Eagles had won nine-straight C-USA games since losing to UCF on Jan. 3 in Orlando.
"It was important for us to get a victory to start this road trip," said head coach Joi Williams. "Our bench provided some valuable minutes to keep us in the game in the first half while we were in foul trouble, and I thought we really came out of the halftime break with good defensive intensity. Our defense helped jumpstart our offense and we had some players step up and hit key shots."
A low-scoring first half saw 22 combined fouls called and four UCF players end the half on the bench with two fouls apiece. After trailing by as many as six, the Knights used a late layup by sophomore Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) to tie the game at 27 at the break.
Getting seven points from Cannon, the Knights scored the first nine points of the second half to take a 36-27 lead just two and a half minutes into the period.
Cannon had just two points and four rebounds at the half, but knocked down 5-of-8 shots from the floor and all five of her free throws after the break. She added 12 rebounds in the contest for her 13th double-double of the season and 25th of her young career.
After Marshall cut the deficit to six with 10:05 to play, UCF rattled off an 11-3 run capped by a Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) three-pointer to lead 55-41 with 5:17 on the clock. Wiley added 11 points in the second half and finished with 16. She connected on 4-for-9 shots from the field, including two threes, and hit all six of her free throws. The sophomore added four assists and three rebounds.
The Knights' defense limited Marshall to just 6-for-23 shooting in the second half for 26.1 percent, and the Thundering Herd hit just 16-of-46 for the game. The 50 points are the fewest for a UCF opponent in 2008-09. Meanwhile, UCF hit 26-for-59 on the night for 53.1 percent.
After missing on all nine of its free throws in the first half, UCF hit 14-of-16 in the second half to finish 14-of-25. Marshall knocked down just 16-for-32 in the game.
UCF freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) added 10 points in the game and also tied a career-high with five steals.
Alix Barnette tied Cannon for game-high scoring honors with 17 points, but was the Thundering Herd's lone player in double figures. UCF held Marshall's leading scorer, Tynikki Crook, to just two points in 28 minutes. The Knights held a dominant 42-18 edge in points in the paint and a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
UCF will stay on the road and travel to Greenville, N.C., for a game with East Carolina on Sunday at 3 p.m. The Knights defeated the Pirates 83-72 in Orlando on Jan. 29.
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.
Newspaper Box Score
UCF vs Marshall
2/13/09 7 p.m. at Huntington, W.Va. (Cam Henderson Center)
At Huntington, W.Va. (Cam Henderson Center)
UCF 68, MARSHALL 50
UCF (11-13, 9-2 C-USA)
Cannon, Emma 6-11 5-5 17; Wiley, Chelsie 4-9 6-6 16; Patrick, Aisha 4-8 2-2 10; Kirkpatrick, Amber 4-4 1-3 9; Daniels, D'Nay 3-6 0-6 6; White, Marshay 2-4 0-3 4; Mealing, Angelica 2-5 0-0 4; Stovall, Jasmine 1-1 0-0 2; Paige, Leah 0-0 0-0 0; Caldwell, Jelisa 0-1 0-0 0; Kelly, Ashia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-49 14-25 68.
MARSHALL (12-12, 5-6 C-USA)
BARNETTE, Alix 6-11 3-5 17; HANDY, Chantelle 4-8 0-0 8; GRAY, Raechele 1-4 5-8 7; HAMMOND, Alyssa 2-8 1-2 5; BROOKS, Keona 1-1 2-4 4; HARRIS, Angelica 1-3 2-5 4; BAKER, Casey 1-4 1-2 3; CROOK, Tynikki 0-6 2-6 2; WALTERS, Tania 0-0 0-0 0; KING, Kendra 0-0 0-0 0; MITCHELL, Alaya 0-1 0-0 0; LISONBEE, Kamille 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-46 16-32 50.
UCF............................. 27 41 - 68
Marshall........................ 27 23 - 50
3-point goals--UCF 2-5 (Wiley, Chelsie 2-4; White, Marshay 0-1), Marshall 2-8 (BARNETTE, Alix 2-4; HANDY, Chantelle 0-1; GRAY, Raechele 0-2; BAKER, Casey 0-1). Fouled out--UCF-None, Marshall-BAKER, Casey. Rebounds--UCF 34 (Cannon, Emma 12), Marshall 35 (CROOK, Tynikki 11). Assists--UCF 12 (White, Marshay 4; Wiley, Chelsie 4), Marshall 7 (BARNETTE, Alix 3). Total fouls--UCF 24, Marshall 21. Technical fouls--UCF-None, Marshall-None. A-785