Feb. 5, 2010
Coaches Corner with Joi Williams
By Andrew Gavin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - One revenge game down, three to go for UCF in a stretch of four-straight against teams that beat UCF earlier this season. After getting back at Marshall with a 56-47 victory Thursday night, the Knights will return to the court Saturday to host East Carolina, a team that downed UCF 73-62 on Jan. 10. In that contest, UCF stayed close despite committing 31 turnovers and junior Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) battling foul trouble.
In Thursday's victory, UCF won on the strength of strong defense and a 42-30 edge on the glass. The Knights now lead the league in rebounding margin in Conference USA games. Junior Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) led the Knights with 17 points while moving into third place all-time in three-pointers made with 115.
East Carolina has struggled on the road in league play and is coming to Orlando after falling at Southern Miss 59-55 on Thursday night. The Pirates are 5-0 at home in C-USA play but only 1-3 on the road.
In the first meeting between the two teams, UCF forced 29 turnovers, but the Knights could not overcome 31 turnovers of their own. Junior Ashley Clarke scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists to lead ECU.
ECU leads the series with UCF 8-1, but the Knights posted their first win against the Pirates a season ago in Orlando.
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.
? 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: Angelica Mealing returned to her starting point guard spot against Memphis six games ago, and the junior has responded. Mealing had a career-high 10 assists against UTEP, and in C-USA play she has totaled 42 assists and just 18 turnovers. She is second among C-USA players in league play in assists (5.3 per game) and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (+2.3). Mealing moved into the top-10 all-time in assists at UCF against Tulane and now has 250 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: Highlighted by a dominating performance against Marshall, UCF has been tremendous on the glass in C-USA play. The Knights outrebounded the Herd, one of the top rebounding teams in the league, 42-30, and have now outrebounded seven-straight C-USA opponents, including three by 10-plus boards.
? TEXAS TOUCH: Having started the past three games, sophomore Ashia Kelly (Longview, Texas) has quietly given UCF a lift of late. Kelly is averaging 5.5 points over the past four games. The Texan has knocked down 4-of-5 three-pointers during the span after beginning her career just one for her first six from long range.
? START IT UP: Patrick currently has an impressive streak of consecutive starts. Against Tulane, Patrick made her 42nd-straight start and has now started 50 of 51 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.