Feb. 28, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team welcomes UAB (10-18, 5-10) to UCF Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. for their regular-season finale, and the team will be striving to finish its home schedule with an unblemished 8-0 record in Conference USA play. In seven home league games, UCF (12-16, 10-5 C-USA) is averaging 76.0 points per clip and has an average margin of victory 11.1 points per game.
The contest will also be nationally televised live on CBS College Sports Network with Ben Holden handling the play-by-play duties and Tammy Blackburn serving as the color analyst. 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.
A victory on Sunday would give UCF 11 conference wins on the season, matching the combined number of C-USA wins the program had in its first three seasons in the league.
UCF used a dominating start to Thursday night's game against Memphis to end a three-game slide. Jumping out to a 41-14 lead in the first half, the Knights cruised to an 82-67 victory. Sophomore Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season and 28th of her career.
UAB enters after a 71-52 defeat at the hands of Southern Miss on Thursday night. Conference USA's leading scorer, Britney Jones, scored 25 points to lead the Blazers. The junior guard is averaging 18.6 points per game.
In the team's first meeting, UCF rallied from a two-point halftime deficit to defeat the Blazers 74-67 in Birmingham on Jan. 10. Sophomore Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) scored 21 in the win for the Knights while Jones scored 23 points for UAB.
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.
General admission tickets to the season finale are on sale for only one dollar, and any member of the Golden Knights Club receives a ticket free of charge courtesy of the women's basketball program.
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee will be hosting all UCF student-athletes and the UCF Air Force ROTC on Sunday at 2 p.m. for a pre-game pizza party in the Black & Gold Club.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: UCF is just 2-10 all-time against UAB, including a 1-5 mark in Orlando. UCF claimed its first road win in the series on Jan. 10, defeating UAB in Birmingham 74-67. The squad's lone home win in the series came over 20 years ago on Jan. 19, 1989, with UCF winning 89-82.
? DOUBLING UP: Cannon has scored at least 14 points in 11 consecutive games, dating back to a 15-point, 17-rebound performance against Rice on Jan. 22. With nine double-doubles during that stretch, Cannon is averaging 15.8 points and 12.5 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 four wins since and are just one C-USA win away from matching the total the program had in its first three seasons combined.
? HOME SWEET HOME: The Knights are now a perfect 7-0 at UCF Arena in C-USA play. The seven-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 current streak, UCF is outscoring opponents by over 11 points a game.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon leads the conference and is tenth nationally in rebounding. She is also tied for eighth in the country in offensive rebounds. Wiley is currently 12th in the country in three-point percentage, hitting 44.8 percent from long range.
? ON THE TUBE: Sunday's game will be the fourth time this season UCF has played a game on television. Currently, the Knights are 2-1 in TV games this season, including 2-0 at UCF Arena with wins over SMU on Feb. 7 and Memphis on Thursday.
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.