Jan. 5, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Headed into Conference USA play for the first time with a winning record, the UCF women's basketball team is on pace for its best regular season in more than half a decade. The Knights quest to claim a C-USA regular season title begins when they open league play on Thursday at Rice at 8 p.m.
Coming off consecutive wins over Tennessee Tech and Valdosta State, UCF is 7-6 as it begins its conference slate. Prior to this season, the Knights had never had a record above .500 against nonconference opponents since joining the league in 2005.
The win over Valdosta gave head coach Joi Williams the 99th victory of her career. Since coming to UCF before the 2007-08 season, Williams has posted 45 wins and led the Knights to the 2009 C-USA Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.
Seniors D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) and Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) led the Knights against Valdosta. Daniels scored 18 points in 18 minutes of play, while Wiley added 14 in the win.
The Owls come into the game with an 8-6 overall record. Freshman Jessica Kuster has been named the C-USA Freshman of the Week in each of the last three weeks and four of the last five. She averaged a double-double of 17.7 points and 14.3 rebounds per game to claim the award for the third-straight week. After winning its final three games of December, Rice fell to Lamar, 73-52, to start 2011 on Sunday afternoon.
Following Thursday's game, the Knights will begin to settle into the conference schedule with a Sunday afternoon matchup with Southern Miss at the UCF Arena. The teams are set to tip-off at 2 p.m.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now as well with season ticket packages starting at just $39. Fans can purchase tickets online hereor by calling (407) UCF-1000.
Thursday's Game
UCF opens the Conference USA schedule with Rice on Thursday at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. The Knights are 7-6 entering the game, while the Owls are one-game better at 8-6 overall.
Scouting the Owls
Rice is led by freshman forward Jessica Kuster. She has has been named the C-USA Freshman of the Week in each of the last three weeks and four of the last five. Kuster averaged a double-double of 17.7 points and 14.3 rebounds per game to claim the award for the third-straight week. After winning its final three games of December, Rice fell to Lamar, 73-52, to start 2011 on Sunday afternoon to finish nonconference play at 8-6.
One More Win
With her next win, head coach Joi Williams will have 100 career head coaching victories. The win over Valdosta State was the 99th of her career and the 45th since coming to UCF for the 2007-08 season. In just three and a half seasons, Williams already ranks as the fourth-winningest coach in program history. Under Williams, UCF is 3-1 against Rice.
For the First Time
The Knights' record of 7-6 marks the first time since joining the C-USA in 2005 that they will enter league play above .500 against nonconference opponents.
Scoring Touch
Senior guard Chelsie Wiley averaged 19.0 points per game against Tennessee Tech and Valdosta State. After scoring 24 against the Golden Eagles on Dec. 29, the Knights' guard added 14 in just 24 minutes of play against the Blazers; almost eight minutes under her average of 31.5 per game.
More Boards than Before
Junior forward Ashia Kelly (Longview, Texas) pulled down a season-high eight rebounds against the Blazers. Kelly's high coming into the contest came in the previous game against Tennessee Tech when she had six. She also had a career-high three assists in the win.
All-Time Series
The Knights are 3-3 all-time against Rice. The two teams played just once last season with the Owls taking the victory, 65-59. In that game in Orlando, D'Nay Daniels posted a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Initial RPI
The first RPI rankings on 2010-11 were released Tuesday afternoon. The Knights sit at No. 99 to start after ending last season at No. 138, a jump of 39 spots from a year ago.
How We Start
UCF is 1-4 in conference openers since joining C-USA in 2005. The first four C-USA openers came against Southern Miss with the Knights taking one win during the 2008-09 season, 65-59. Last season, UCF dropped a 74-60 decision at Marshall to open league play.
Dishing Out Dimes
With her 29 assists this season, senior guard Angelica Mealing has moved into sixth place on the program's all-time list with 317 in her career. Next up for Mealing is LaShay King ('06) with 322 and Marcie Swiley ('83) with 326.
On the Road Again…
UCF is just 1-5 in road games this season. Last year, the Knights were 2-5 against C-USA opponents on the road during the regular season. Daniels led all UCF players in those games, averaging 13.6 points per game.