Feb. 4, 2010
Live Audio Coaches Corner with Joi Williams
By Andrew Gavin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With a game against Marshall, UCF begins a stretch of four games in a row where the Knights will be looking to enact revenge on teams for earlier losses. The first of those teams comes with Marshall, who the Knights will host Thursday evening at the UCF Arena at 7 p.m.
UCF opened Conference USA play against the Thundering Herd on Jan. 8 in Huntington. The Knights fell behind by 16 at the break and were unable to recover in a 74-60 loss. Junior Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 17 points for UCF in the loss.
In their last outing, the Knights played well against Tulane Sunday and led by 10 points with five minutes remaining only to fall 72-70 at the UCF Arena. While the outcome was not what it was hoping for, UCF did see improved balance offensively and put five players in double figures against the Thundering Herd. White and fellow junior Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) both scored 14 points while D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.), Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) and Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) each added 12 points.
Marshall enters the game after an 85-84 double overtime victory against UAB last Saturday. Kendra King, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, had 36 points and 16 rebounds in the contest for the Herd.
In last year's game in Orlando, Wiley hit seven threes and scored 30 points as UCF defeated Marshall 75-67.
The game can be heard live on WAMT 1190 AM ESPN Radio. With Scott Adams and Andrew Gavin on the call, coverage can be heard beginning at 6:45 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.
? THE SERIES: Marshall holds a 7-3 edge in the all-time series against UCF, including a 4-2 record in Orlando. UCF earned a season sweep over the Thundering Herd a year ago.
? THE LAST MEETING: After a struggle offensively in the opening half, UCF found itself down by 16 points (36-20) at the break and never recovered in a 74-60 loss in Huntington on Jan. 8. The Knights got 17 points from White in the C-USA opener for UCF.
? LENDING A HAND: Despite playing primarily at both guard positions, Patrick has been a big help on the glass this season, especially in conference play. In the Knights' six league games, Patrick has averaged 7.0 rebounds per game, including 22 in the past three contests.
? BACK TO THE POINT: Mealing returned to her starting point guard spot against Memphis five games ago, and the junior has responded. Mealing had a career-high 10 assists against UTEP, and in C-USA play she has totaled 35 assists and just 15 turnovers. She is third among C-USA players in league play in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio.
? 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. Wiley now owns three of the top-five best shooting performances for threes made in a game and three of the top seven efforts for single-game three-point percentage.
? SUCCESS AT SEVENTY: UCF has struggled offensively at times this season, leading to a couple of its close losses. Until Sunday against Tulane, the magic number had been 70. The game was the first UCF had lost this season when scoring at least 70 points. When they do not, they are 0-11. The Knights also hit 70 on the head in their last win, beating Southern Miss 70-60 on Jan. 21 and are averaging 69 points over the past three games.
? START IT UP: Patrick currently has an impressive streak of consecutive starts. Against Tulane, Patrick made her 41st-straight start and has now started 49 of 50 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.