Feb. 18, 2011
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team will put its 10-2 home record on the line when it hosts Conference USA foe East Carolina Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the UCF Arena. The Knights (15-10, 8-4 C-USA) are on a four-game winning streak and sit tied for second in the league standings.
ECU (12-13, 6-6 C-USA) defeated SMU, 77-70, in its most recent game Thursday night in Greenville to even its record in league play. The Pirates and Knights have met once already this season with the Pirates holding on for the 65-58 win on Jan. 30.
Sunday marks the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day and will serve as the Knights' "Pink Zone" game. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a UKnight Pink Zone t-shirt, while a $5 youth ticket also includes: food, drink, t-shirt, postgame autograph session and admission to a UCF basketball clinic.
Following Sunday's tilt with the Pirates, UCF will head back out on the road for games at UAB on Feb. 24 and Southern Miss on Feb. 27. The Knights' final home game of the season and senior night celebrations will be on March. 3 when they host Memphis.
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.
Sunday's Game
UCF plays host to ECU Sunday afternoon in the team's annual celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day and "Pink Zone" game. The Knights enter the game tied for second in the league standings at 8-4, while holding the tie-breaker with Rice after defeating the Owls in their conference opener on Jan. 6. The Pirates are tied with Tulane for fourth in the standings with their 6-6 mark in league games.
Scouting the Pirates
ECU has won five of its last seven games, but has dropped their last two on the road coming into Sunday's matchup. The Pirates last won a road contest on Feb. 3 at Marshall. However, ECU had not won a true road game before beating the Thundering Herd since Dec. 2 when it took down VCU, 77-72. Kim Gay leads the Pirates in scoring at 12.2 points per game this season and is the only member of the team averaging in double figures in 2010-11. Gay's 6.6 rebounds per game are also good for the team lead.
All-Time Series
The loss earlier this season dropped UCF to 2-9 in the all-time series with ECU. The Knights are winless in six games in Greenville, while 2-3 against the Pirates in games played in Orlando. UCF head coach Joi Williams is 2-6 against ECU as a head coach.
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.
Last Time Out
UCF and ECU played on Jan. 30 in Greenville with the home team prevailing 65-58. The loss dropped the Knights to 0-6 all-time on the road in the series. After falling behind early on, UCF mounted a comeback try midway through the second half that fell short with the Pirates holding on for the seven-point win.
Vengeance Game
The Knights took down Tulane, 73-69, in overtime Thursday night. The Green Wave eliminated the Knights, 63-62, in the quarterfinals of last season's C-USA Tournament. The overtime victory was the first of the season for the Knights and, coped with a Memphis loss, moved them into a two-way tie for second in the league standings.
Rebounding Figure
Junior Aisha Patrick had a career-high 15 rebounds against Tulane. Patrick's 15 boards were also a new UCF season-best total for 2010-11, eclipsing the previous mark of 14 set by Patrick in the Knights' only other overtime game this season Nov. 20 at James Madison.
Double-Double
All Patrick's 15 points against the Green Wave came after halftime with 11 in the second and four in overtime. It was her second double-double of the season and just the second by anyone other than senior D'Nay Daniels this year. Patrick's earlier double-double came at home against UAB on Jan. 13 (17 points, 11 rebounds).
Leader of the Pack
Daniels finished with a game-high 17 points despite fouling out in OT. The senior forward has now led or tied for the team lead in scoring nine times this season, including seven times against C-USA opponents.
She Loves Being Home
In the first game back home since draining a half-court buzzer beater to sink UTEP, sophomore Gevenia Carter made another statement against Tulane. Coming off the bench, Carter dropped 13 points in the first half against the Green Wave before finishing with 15 in the game. Carter now has two double-digit scoring performances against league teams and six total this season after just one in her freshman campaign last year.
Speaking of Home...
The Knights are 10-2 at home this season, the best mark in the league thus far. No other team with 10 or more wins at home this season has fewer than three losses besides UCF. Houston is close behind at 9-1 at home, while Memphis is 11-3.
Clutch Caldwell
Senior Jelisa Caldwell was key in the Knights' second-half and overtime push against Tulane. Caldwell finished with 12 points, including two clutch baskets in overtime. Her up-and-under layup midway through the extra session put her team up four, 66-62.