Jan. 22, 2011
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Midway through one of its best seasons under head coach Joi Williams, the UCF women's basketball team will host its annual Gold Rush game Sunday against Conference USA foe Marshall at 2 p.m. Admission to the game is FREE with the first 500 fans in attendance receiving a Gold Rush t-shirt.
The Knights (10-8, 3-2) and Thundering Herd (5-12, 1-3) will meet for the first of two games this season when they tip-off on Sunday afternoon. UCF has not lost to Marshall at home in three seasons and will look to keep that streak going at the Gold Rush.
Associate head coach Greg Brown will be in the Black & Gold Club at 1:15 p.m. for a pre-game "Chalk Talk" with fans as part of the event. Brown will discuss the scouting report on Marshall as well as the team's goals for the rest of the season.
Halftime will feature a performance from three-time national champion baton twirler Jen Marcus. The entire Knights' team will be on-hand following the game for an autograph session of their 2010-11 official team poster as well.
Sunday's game will mark the first at the UCF Arena in more than a week for the Knights who just wrapped up a two-game road swing at SMU and Memphis. Senior D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) became the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000-career points on Thursday, doing so with her sixth point of the first half against the Tigers.
Daniels joins fellow senior Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) as a member of the 1,000-point club. With Wiley and now Daniels over the milestone scoring mark in their career, UCF joins Houston as the only two schools in Conference USA to have more than one player with 1,000 plus points.
The Thundering Herd come into the game having lost their last three contests. In the most recent game, Marshall was held to a season-low 21 points in a 57-point defeat to in-state rival West Virginia, 78-21, Wednesday night in Charleston. The Herd combined to shoot just 5-of-45 in the game with no player connecting on more than one field goal in the loss. Preseason All-C-USA member Tynikki Crook leads Marshall and the conference with 17.1 points per game, while her 9.5 rebounds per game this season rank third in the league.
Following Sunday's matchup with Marshall, UCF will host league-leading Houston on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena in what will be a battle for postseason positioning. The Cougars currently sit atop the conference standings with a two-game lead on the Knights.
Don't miss out on another exciting UCF women's basketball game this season as affordable single-game tickets for the remaining five home games are available right now. Tickets start at $2 for youth and seniors, $5 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000.
Sunday's Game
UCF returns home after two games on the road at SMU and Memphis last week. The Knights dropped both contests against the Mustangs and the Tigers, marking just the second time this season and the first since early December that UCF lost consecutive games. After starting the Conference USA schedule with three-straight wins, the Knights have dropped to 3-2 in league games.
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Marshall comes into the game with a 1-3 mark in league contests and is just 5-12 overall this season. Perhaps the Thundering Herd's most deflating loss of the season came in the team's most recent game against in-state rival West Virginia on Wednesday night Charleston as they fell to the Mountaineers, 78-21. The 67-point loss was the worst of the season, while the 21 points scored was the lowest by any team in C-USA this year. Senior Tynikki Crook is the bright spot for her team this year as she has lived up to her billing as a preseason all-conference player. She leads the league with 17.1 points per game and ranks third in the conference with 9.5 boards per game.
All-Time Series
Marshall holds the 7-5 advantage in the all-time series, including a 4-2 mark in Orlando. That hasn't been the case in recent memory as UCF has won four of the last five meetings between the two programs and the last two played at the UCF Arena. Last season, UCF ended Marshall's postseason run with a59-57 overtime win in the Conference USA Tournament.
On the Air
The rest of the UCF women's basketball season will be broadcast through Genesis Communications and can be heard on either WAMT 1190 AM or WHOO ESPN 1080 AM. Scott Adams will have the call live from the UCF Arena on Sunday and for the rest of the season.
1,000 Points the Hard Way
Senior D'Nay Daniels became the 14th player in program history to reach 1,000-career points on Thursday night in Memphis. After having her front tooth chipped midway through the first half, Daniels returned to score her sixth point of the first half and the 1,000th of her career. She would finish the game with 14 points for 1,008 in her three plus seasons in Orlando.
Make It Two
Daniels joins fellow senior Chelsie Wiley as active members of the 1,000-point club. Wiley is second amongst active players in scoring in Conference USA with 1,330 for her career. UCF and Houston are the only two schools in the league with multiple active 1,000-point scorers (Courtney Taylor and Brittany Scott).
Solid Performance
Junior Aisha Patrick continues to do all the little things right for the Knights this season. At Memphis, Patrick scored 11 points and added a game-high three steals to go along with four rebounds.
Don't See That Happen Too Often
Despite having two of the best passers in the league in Patrick and senior guard Angelica Mealing, UCF was led in assists by senior Jelisa Caldwell's four assists against the Tigers. It was the first time this season that Caldwell has led the Knights in assists, despite her career high of five against Southern Miss earlier this month. In that game, Caldwell finished second as Mealing dished out six against the Golden Eagles.
Back-to-Back
The 21-point loss to the Tigers was the second in a row for the Knights, but it also marked the second time in as many games that the team was outrebounded by its opponent. After SMU edged UCF, 31-30, in boards last Sunday, the Knights' were outrebounded by Memphis, 49-34. The 15-rebound gap tied the largest of the season for UCF (Wright State). Prior to Thursday, the Knights had not been outrebounded in back-to-back games in 2010-11.
35 and Counting
Wiley (2) and Caldwell (1) combined to connect on three three-pointers against Memphis. Dating back to last season, UCF has at least one three-point field goal in 35 straight games. The last time the Knights failed to connect on one from long range in a game came at Marshall on Jan. 8, 2010 in a 74-60 loss.
Keeping Down the Turnovers
UCF ranks 43rd in the nation in turnovers per game this season (15.6). Against Memphis, the Knights had 20 to the Tigers' 23, marking the sixth straight game that UCF has had fewer turnovers than its opponent. In all, the Knights have had fewer turnovers than the opposition in 14 of 18 games this season.
Leah Leads
Coming off the bench for a season-high 16 minutes of play, senior forward Leah Paige matched her career high with four points against Memphis. One of the team's most vocal leaders, Paige was 2-for-2 from the field and added two boards and two steals against the Tigers.