Feb. 11, 2010
By Andrew Gavin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Two teams seemingly heading in opposite directions meet Friday night at 8 p.m. EST in Birmingham. Since UCF (6-12, 3-6 C-USA) and UAB (10-11, 4-5 C-USA) met in Orlando on Jan. 17 and the Blazers posted a 69-61 victory to move to 4-0 in C-USA play, the Knights have won three of their last five games, including two in a row, while UAB has dropped five-straight contests.
Head coach Joi Williams' team will be looking to continue its string of success, especially on the defensive end of the floor. In victories last weekend at the UCF Arena over Marshall (56-47) and East Carolina (60-50), the Knights allowed just 97 combined points and outrebounded the two teams by 21.
UCF enacted revenge for early-season losses in both efforts last weekend, and the Knights hope for the same against the Blazers. In UAB's win in Orlando, UCF scored just 19 points in the first half to fall behind by 12. Junior Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Knights with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the game, but 42 second-half points for UCF were not enough to overcome the slow start.
During UAB's five-game slide, the Blazers have lost two games in overtime and two by just a single point. Freshman Jala Harris is averaging a league-best 22.2 points per game in C-USA play. She scored a game-high 20 points in the first meeting between the two teams.
The game can be heard live on WHOO 1080 AM ESPN Radio. With Scott Adams and Andrew Gavin on the call, coverage can be heard beginning at 7:45 p.m. Those fans not in the Central Florida area or without radio access can listen live via the internet by clicking here or on UCFAthletics.com.
? LAST TIME OUT: Junior Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) led UCF with 14 points and Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) added 13 points apiece as UCF defeated East Carolina 60-50. The Knights ended the game on an 18-8 run to win their second-straight contest.
? THE SERIES: UAB holds an 11-3 record in the all-time series, including a 5-1 edge in games played in Birmingham. However, UCF's sweep of the Blazers in 2008-09 included a 74-67 victory at Bartow Arena last January.
? THE LAST MEETING: UCF scored just 19 points in the first half to dig themselves a 12-point halftime deficit as UAB won in Orlando 69-61 on Jan. 17. Cannon had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the contest, which was televised live nationally on ESPN2.
? LENDING A HAND: Despite playing primarily at both guard positions, sophomore Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) has been a big help on the glass this season, especially in conference play. In the Knights' six league games, Patrick has averaged 7.1 rebounds per game, including 30 in the past four contests.
? BACK TO THE POINT: Mealing returned to her starting point guard spot against Memphis seven games ago, and the junior has responded. Mealing had a career-high 10 assists against UTEP, and in C-USA play she has totaled 46 assists and just 21 turnovers. She is second among C-USA players in league play in assists (5.1 per game) and tied for first in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.2). Mealing moved into the top-10 all-time in assists at UCF against Tulane and now has 254 for her career.
? ANOTHER ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Wiley recently scored 29 points against UTEP on Jan. 24. The game was just one more in an impressive list of great games for the sharpshooter. Wiley knocked down 7-of-10 three-pointers, adding herself again to the UCF single-game record book. Her seven threes were one shy of the school-record eight she hit in nine attempts against Ole Miss last season, and tie her 7-for-9 performance last season against Marshall a year ago.
? BOARD WORK: After dominating two of the best rebounding teams in C-USA on the glass last weekend, UCF now tops the league in rebounding margin in both overall and C-USA only games. The Knights have a plus-7.0 rebounding margin in league games and have outrebounded eight-straight opponents.
? START IT UP: Patrick currently has an impressive streak of consecutive starts. Against Tulane, Patrick made her 43rd-straight start and has now started 51 of 52 games in her career.
Season and single-game tickets are currently available with the UCF Ticket Office. Knight fans can purchase season tickets for each of the team's 14 home games for just $39. For more information on purchasing tickets, contact the UCF ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
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.