Jan. 26, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Thursday night's women's basketball Conference USA match-up between UCF and Houston is shaping up to be the biggest home game of the season for the Knights (11-8, 4-2). The Cougars (15-4, 6-0) come to UCF Arena as the lone unbeaten team in league play and will take on third-place UCF at 7 p.m., in a contest that could be a potential preview of a late C-USA Tournament game.
The Knights snapped a two-game skid on Sunday afternoon with a 28-point win over Marshall, 68-40, to improve to 4-2 in C-USA play and a league-best 8-1 at home this season. Senior D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.), fresh off scoring her 1,000th-career point against Memphis on Thursday, led the Knights with 19 points versus the Thundering Herd.
Junior Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) and senior Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) tied for the game high with six assists apiece against Marshall. Wiley's six assists matched her career high, while Patrick added seven rebounds and four steals as the Knights moved into third place in the league standings with the victory.
Houston comes to Orlando for the second-straight season, but this time boasting the league's best and only unbeaten record at 6-0. Courtney Taylor (16.3), Brittney Scott (15.6) and Porsche Landry (14.9) make up one of the league's most dynamic trio with all three ranking in the top six in the league in scoring. Third in the league in points, Taylor also ranks first in rebounds at 11.6 per game and has been named the C-USA Player of the Week three times. Landry has also claimed the award on two occasions this year.
Thursday will mark the only meeting of the regular season between the two teams. Houston and UCF are the only two programs in C-USA that currently have two active members of the 1,000-point club as Daniels (1,027) and Wiley (1,341) will face-off with Taylor (1,489) and Scott (1,311).
The Knights will wrap up the two-game home stand Thursday before heading back out on the road for a Sunday matchup with ECU at 1 p.m.
Don't miss out on another exciting UCF women's basketball game this season as affordable single-game tickets for remaining 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.
Thursday's Game
The Knights put their league-best 8-1 home mark on the line when they host the C-USA leading Houston Cougars on Thursday night. UCF comes into the game having defeated Marshall, 68-40, Sunday afternoon in its most recent contest. The win snapped the Knights' two-game skid after losses at SMU and Memphis last week.
Scouting the Cougars
Houston will come to Orlando for the second time in as many seasons for Thursday night's tilt with the Knights. The Cougars are 15-4 overall and remain the only unbeaten team in C-USA at 6-0 this season. The team boasts three of the league's top offensive players in Courtney Taylor, Brittney Scott and Porsche Landry. All three rank in the top six in league scoring, while Taylor is also the league's top rebounder at 11.6 per game.
All-Time Series
The two teams have played a total of six games with each winning three. The Knights hold a slight 2-1 advantage in games played in Orlando, including a 78-66 win last season at the UCF Arena. UCF and Houston have played once before in the postseason with the Knights defeating the Cougars, 79-66, en route to claiming the 2009 C-USA Tournament Championship.
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 Thursday and for the rest of the season.
Switch at the Top
For the first time since the second game of the season, a UCF player other than Chelsie Wiley leads the Knights in scoring. Senior D'Nay Daniels' 19 points against Marshall leaped Wiley in season scoring as Daniels is now averaging 14.7 a game, while Wiley's 14.3 ppg ranks second on the team.
Matched Again
For the fifth time, Daniels and Aisha Patrick tied for the team lead in rebounds as both had seven against the Thundering Herd. Patrick leads the Knights this season at 8.1 boards per game, while Daniels' 7.7 rpg rank second. Both figures are good for top 10 in the league.
Career High
Wiley's six assists against Marshall matched a career high for the senior guard. Her previous six-assist performance came against Florida A&M on Nov. 21, 2008. Wiley is third on the team with 35 assists this season behind just Patrick (71) and Angelica Mealing (39).
Against Conference Opponents
Against C-USA foes this season, the Knights' have a slightly better shooting percentage (.407) than their overall season average (.399). Although still outrebounding teams, UCF's margin has slipped just a little from +2.8 overall to +1.0 against the six league opponents thus far. The defensive effort stressed by head coach Joi Williams has been there as well, improving its steals (11.5 in league games to 9.7 overall) and blocks per game (2.5 to 2.1).
Getting Defensive
The Knights' defense limited Marshall to 40 points; the lowest total by any opponent this season. Preseason All-Conference USA Team member Tynikki Cook came into the game as the league's leading scorer at 17.1 points and was held to just 12. Cook was the only member of the Thundering Herd to score in double figures in the game.
Stat Pat
Patrick continues to fill the stats sheet for UCF almost every game. Against Marshall, the junior guard scored just six points, but shared the team lead in rebounds (7) with Daniels for the fifth time this season. She and Wiley also had six assists to lead the Knights, while her four steals were a game high.
Free Throws for One
Daniels was the only UCF player to go to the free-throw line against Marshall. The senior forward was 5-of-9 from the stripe in the game. The nine attempts were the fewest as a team in any contest this year. It is also the first time in any of the last three seasons that only one member of the Knights went to the line in a game.
Going For 50
Head coach Joi Williams picked up her 100th-career coaching victory earlier this year against Rice. Williams now will look to earn her 50th as the UCF head coach with the next Knights' victory. She is now in her fourth season at UCF.