Feb. 14, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Two days after a 68-50 win over Marshall on Friday night, UCF (11-13, 9-2 C-USA) will look to win at East Carolina (14-10, 5-6 C-USA) Sunday at 2 p.m. for its sixth-straight win and tenth of league play. The Knights win on Friday, coupled with a Southern Miss loss at ECU, vaulted the Knights to the top of the C-USA standings.
Knights' fans can listen to a live audio internet broadcast of the game beginning at approximately 1:40 p.m. The voice of the team, Scott Adams, will be on the call, and the broadcast can be accessed free of charge through Stretch Audio Internet at http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/multimedia/ucf-wbb-stretch-sched.html.
Friday's victory was UCF's best defensive effort of the season as the Thundering Herd hit just 6-of-23 shots in the second half. Breaking out of a 27-27 halftime tie, UCF used a combined 26 second-half points from sophomores Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) and Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.). Cannon finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season and 25th of her young career.
East Carolina has had success at home in 2008-09, winning 10 of 11 games at Williams Arena. They showed of this dominance Friday, rallying from 15 points down in the second half to defeat Southern Miss. LaCoya Terry leads the Pirates averaging over 16 points per game.
On Jan. 29, the Knights defeated the Pirates for the first time in seven meetings with an 83-72 victory in Orlando. Wiley had 22 points in the win while freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) had 16 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. ECU was led in the game by Jasmine Young's 16 points.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: ECU leads the all-time series with UCF 6-1, including winning all three contests in Greenville. UCF's 83-72 victory in Orlando on Jan. 29 was the program's first over the Pirates in the all-time series.
? RECORD AND COUNTING: With its 75-67 win over Marshall on Jan. 31, UCF notched its sixth C-USA win of the season, the most victories in league play since joining the conference in 2005-06. The Knights have added to the record with three wins since and are just two C-USA wins of matching the total the program had in its first three seasons combined.
? HOME SWEET HOME: The Knights are now a perfect 6-0 at UCF Arena in Conference USA play. The six-straight home victories mark the longest winning streak in the team's new home and the longest home streak for the program since the 2003-04 team won 10 in a row. During the streak, UCF is outscoring opponents by over 10 points a game and has a turnover margin of plus-5.5.
? CANNON ON FIRE: The reigning C-USA Player of the Week, Cannon has been tremendous of late. She has recorded a double-double in six of the last seven games and has scored at least 14 points in each of those contests. Cannon is averaging 15.1 points and 12.6 rebounds over that stretch.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon now leads the conference and is 11th in the country in rebounding. She is also 10th in offensive rebounds per game. Wiley is currently fourth in the country in three-point percentage, hitting 48 percent from long range.
? I'M GOING STREAKING: After a 5-for-5 effort at Marshall, Cannon has now hit 15 free throws in a row and 24 of her last 25 shots from the stripe.
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. #UCF#