Feb. 25, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Looking to end a three-game slide, UCF welcomes Memphis to UCF Arena on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. in the second-to-last regular season game of the season for both teams. For the first time since moving into its new home last season, UCF will play a nationally televised home game.
Thursday's contest will run live locally on Bright House Sports Network and will be shown nationally on tape delay on both CSS and CBS College Sports with Paul Crane handling the play-by-play duties and Robin Muller serving as the color analyst. CSS will have the coverage beginning at 9 p.m. while CBS College Sports will air the game at 10 p.m.
CBS College Sports Network is channel 106 on Bright House Networks in the Orlando area, as well as channel 613 on DirecTV and channel 152 on Dish Network/Echostar. CSS is on channel 29 on Comcast in the Orlando area.
Bright House Sports Network is a 24-hour local sports network available in central Florida on Bright House Networks digital cable channel 47.
Knights' fans can also listen to a live audio internet broadcast of the game beginning at approximately 6:40 p.m. eastern time. The broadcast can be accessed free of charge through Stretch Audio Internet at http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/multimedia/ucf-wbb-stretch-sched.html.
The Knights return home after a four-game road trip to play their first contest at UCF since a 78-68 win over SMU on Feb. 7. That victory improved UCF to a perfect 6-0 on its home floor in Conference USA play. They have a margin of victory of over 10 points per game in those contests.
In their first road game of league play, the Knights posted an 85-67 win at Memphis. UCF sophomore Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) had career highs of 34 points and 20 rebounds in the win, hitting 12-of-20 shots.
Memphis enters the game after being dealt a 70-61 setback by Marshall on Sunday. Freshman Ramses Lonlack had 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting to lead the Tigers. Leading scorer Paris Leonard, averaging 16.3 points per clip, scored just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting.
Prior to the loss at Marshall, the Tigers had won two-straight games. Memphis is 3-3 on the road in league play.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: UCF leads the all-time series with Memphis 5-3, including a 2-2 record in Orlando. Last season in Orlando, the Knights were on the wrong end of a 78-68 loss to the Tigers when current UCF player Jessica Hall (Tallahassee, Fla.) had 21 points for Memphis.
? DOUBLING UP: Cannon has scored at least 14 points in 10 consecutive games, dating back to a 15-point, 17-rebound performance against Rice on Jan. 22. With eight double-doubles during that stretch, Cannon is averaging 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
? 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 away from 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.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon leads the conference and is tied for tenth nationally in rebounding. She is also tied for eighth in offensive rebounds per game. Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) is currently seventh in the country in three-point percentage, hitting 44.8 percent from long range.
? ON THE TUBE: Thursday's game will be the third time this season UCF has played a game on television. Currently, the Knights are 1-1 in TV games with a home victory over SMU on Feb. 7 and a defeat at Houston on Jan. 25.
For more information about the ticket special or about the arena's premium seating options, including club seats, 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.