March 4, 2009
NEW ORLEANS, La. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team opens play in the Conference USA Championship Thursday afternoon against 12th-seeded Rice at 3:30 p.m. Eastern at Fogelman Arena in New Orleans. The Knights, 13-16 overall and 11-5 in conference play, received the fifth seed in the tournament due to the league's tiebreaking rules despite finishing in a four-way tie for second place.
Fans can listen to a live audio internet broadcast of each game the Knights play in the tournament, with coverage of UCF's first game set to begin at approximately 3:10 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.
After a successful regular season which saw UCF post one of the biggest conference turnarounds in the country, the Knights enter the 2009 C-USA Championship with a much different outlook than a season ago. As the hosts in 2008, UCF was the 12th seed and, despite playing a tough game, fell in the first round to fifth-seeded Southern Miss. Now a year later in the Big Easy, UCF finds itself in the same first-round game, but this time as the fifth seed.
During the regular season, UCF defeated Rice 77-52 at UCF Arena behind first-team all-conference selection Emma Cannon's (Rochester, N.Y.) 15 points and 17 rebounds. The Knights led 32-11 midway through the first half and finished with their largest margin of victory in C-USA play.
Head coach Joi Williams' team enters the tournament after concluding the season with back-to-back home conference wins over Memphis and UAB. UCF defeated UAB 74-59, getting 31 points from third-team all-conference selection Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and another 21 points from Cannon.
Rice arrives in New Orleans having lost three-straight games, including a 61-51 loss at Marshall in its season finale.
If the Knights can get past Rice, fourth-seeded Houston awaits in Friday's quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Houston had a 19-9 overall record and was among the four teams tied for second in the league standings. The Cougars claimed the tiebreaker over UCF based on an 80-65 victory against the Knights on Jan. 22 in Houston.
For the past 13 years the league has awarded the championship trophy to eight different outstanding teams. Fans may purchase their tickets in advance by going through the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or Tulane Athletics at tulanegreenwave.com or 504.861.WAVE (9283). General admission all session tickets are $50 for adults and $40 for youth, while single session prices are $10 for adults and $7 for youth.
KNIGHTS NOTES
? INSIDE THE SERIES: UCF is 2-2 all-time against the Owls, including two wins in a row. Williams is 2-0 against the Owls since taking the helm of the Knights' program.
? UCF IN THE TOURNEY: UCF is 0-3 all-time in Conference USA Championship action. The Knights fell by an average of 19 points per game in their first two tourney games, but as the host team a season ago lost just 74-72 to fifth-seeded Southern Miss.
? UCF AGAINST THE TOP HALF: UCF has fared well against its half of the bracket, with a 5-2 record in games against the other five teams. UCF was 2-0 against UAB, 1-0 against SMU and Rice, 1-1 in two games against ECU and 0-1 in its only game against Houston. The Knights had a scoring margin of plus-7.1 points and shot 40.6 percent from long range. Wiley averaged 20 points per game in the games, shooting 44.4 percent from three, while Cannon tallied 16.1 and 12.4 rebounds per outing. Cannon had double-doubles in six of the seven games.
? UCF VERSUS THE BOTTOM HALF: In nine games against the bottom half of the bracket, UCF went 6-3, including 2-0 against Memphis and Marshall, 1-1 against Southern Miss, 1-0 in its meeting with Tulsa and 0-1 versus both UTEP and Tulane. Cannon averaged 17.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the games, shooting 53.1 percent. Sophomore Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) tallied 10.3 points per game, including a 27-for-28 effort at the charity stripe.
? AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: Cannon leads the conference and is tied for eighth nationally in rebounding. She is also tied for sixth in the country in offensive rebounds. Wiley is currently 15th in the country in three-point percentage, hitting 42.8 percent from long range.
? THAT'S A HANDFUL: With Cannon's league-best third Player of the Week award handed out on Monday, UCF finished the season with a league-high five player of the week awards. Cannon also won the honor on both Jan. 12 and Feb. 9. Wiley was the first UCF player ever to win the weekly honor on Dec. 22, and she took the honor again on Feb. 2.
? TOP TURNAROUND: Going from three conference wins to 11, UCF pulled off one of the top turnarounds in league play in the country. The eight-win improvement was bettered by only Central Connecticut State, who went from three wins in 2007-08 to 12 this season. CCSU and the Knights were the lone teams in the country to go from last place a year ago to as high as second in 2008-09.
? ON THE TUBE: If UCF reaches the semifinals, the game will mark the fifth time the Knights have been on television in 2008-09. Currently, the Knights are 3-1 in TV games this season, including three-straight victories. UCF defeated SMU, Memphis and UAB on the tube.
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.