Dec. 3, 2007

IRVING, Texas - SMU has won six consecutive games, the last time the Mustangs have won at least six straight was in the 2004-05 season. That squad reeled off eight straight wins. SMU is tied for second in the NCAA with most consecutive wins. Wyoming has a 12-game streak intact, while SMU and Tennessee have each won six straight.

UCF leads the nation in rebounding margin with a 12.4 advantage over its opponents. Freshman forward/center Tia Lewis ranks fifth in the NCAA and leads C-USA in rebounds per game with a 12.1 average. Freshman teammate Emma Cannon also ranks 50th in the NCAA with a 9.4 average.

Lewis is the only player in the league to be contributing a double-double for her team. The rookie accounts for 14.1 points per game, eighth best in the league, and 12.1 boards. She also tops the chart with a .605 field goal percentage, hitting 49-of-81 attempts, in eight games.

DEC. 3 C-USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK & STATISTICS

UAB has played all eight of its games away from Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. The Blazers will play its first of a five-game stretch of home games starting Wednesday, Dec. 5, which includes hosting the UAB Blazer Invitational on Dec. 17-18.

When No. 9 Oklahoma travels up I-44 to face Tulsa on Saturday, Dec. 8 ESPN will have it available on its Full Court Pay-Preview package. Golden Hurricane fans within the state can watch it for free as the Sooner Sports Network will be broadcasting the event starting at 7 p.m. CST.

East Carolina's Dec. 9 contest against North Carolina State has been moved to 2 p.m. ET and will be aired on WITN-TV locally in Greenville.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
DECEMBER
Tuesday, 4
Houston at Texas Tech 7 p.m.
South Alabama at Southern Miss 7 p.m.
Tulsa at Missouri State 7 p.m.
Marshall at North Texas 7 p.m.

Wednesday, 5
Tulane at Rhode Island 6 p.m.
Charlotte at UAB 7 p.m.

Thursday, 6
Coppin State at SMU 7 p.m.
TCU at Rice 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 8
#9 Oklahoma at Tulsa (Sooner Sports Network) 3 p.m.
New Mexico State at UTEP 3:05 p.m.
Houston at Miami (Fla.) 6 p.m.
UT-Arlington at SMU 7 p.m.
Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech 7 p.m.

Sunday, 9
Florida Gulf Coast at UCF 1 p.m.
North Carolina State at East Carolina (WITN) 2 p.m.

C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DELISHA WILLS, SMU
6-0, So., F, Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite HS
Wills averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting a solid 61.9 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line in SMU two victories over the weekend.

The Mustangs defeated powerhouse Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference, 66-60, before handing North Texas, who was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference, a 68-62 loss in Denton.

The power forward stepped up against North Texas as she recorded 17 points and had 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. She also picked up the bulk of the scoring responsibilities as SMU All-America candidate Janielle Dodds was battling illness and foul trouble against the Mean Green.

Against SFA, Wills produced her second highest offensive outing with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting (.750). She also had five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in just 26 minutes of play.

Wills currently ranks among C-USA's top 15 in eight categories including 10th in scoring with 14.0 points and 12th in rebounds per game, averaging 6.9. She also appears ninth in free throw percentage (.829); 12th in blocks per game (1.0) and defensive rebounds (4.29); 14th in field goal percentage (.492) and offensive rebounds (2.57) plus 15th in steals per game (1.57).

This is Wills' first C-USA Player of the Week honor.

TEAM CAPSULES
EAST CAROLINA (3-5, 0-0 C-USA)
East Carolina jumped out to an early 15-4 lead, sparked by two straight Jasmine Young 3-pointers, but the Pirates couldn't hold on as they suffered a 64-53 loss to VCU Saturday afternoon at Minges Coliseum.

Young led the Pirates with 16 points while junior guard LaCoya Terry added 12 points and seven rebounds.

East Carolina Tiahana Bowens' basket at the seven minute mark pulled the team to within six, 46-40, but the Pirates could not get any closer, as VCU went on to win.

ECU will host North Carolina State on Sunday at 2 p.m. This game will be aired locally on WITN.

HOUSTON (2-6, 0-0 C-USA)
Houston suffered a 77-46 setback at the hands of No. 8/7 LSU on Thursday on Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Brittney Scott tallied a team-high 11 points and was the only UH player in double digits. Scott and Ryan Meyers tied for the team lead with six rebounds while Twiggy McIntyre dished out a game-high six assists. Senior guard Tye Jackson missed her second-straight game due to a knee injury. Her status remains day-to-day.

Houston was held to a 33 percent shooting night (18-for-54), including a 3-for-12 (.250) effort from behind the line.

UH is back in action on Tuesday as the Cougars start a three-game road swing at Texas Tech. UH and the Lady Raiders are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. in the United Spirit Arena.

MARSHALL (3-4, 0-0 C-USA)
Marshall advanced to the championship game of the Fifth Third Herd Classic in Huntington with an 87-61 win over Jackson State Friday before dropping a close 70-66 game to Pittsburgh in the title game on Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center.

Sophomore guard Alyssa Hammond scored a season-high 17 points for the Herd. Kizzy Hart was also in double-digits with 12, while Casey Baker set a career-high in steals with five and scored nine points.

After six minutes of trading buckets, the Herd managed to get the lead into single digits when a Hammond jumper made it a nine-point game with under eight minutes to play.

Down six with four seconds left, Alix Barnette gave Marshall a bit of hope, hitting a 3-pointer to make it a 69-66 contest, but free throws sealed the game for Pitt. Saturday's game marked the Herd's first loss in the Fifth Third MU Classic (11-1).

The Herd will once again take to the road, facing North Texas on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET. Following that game, Marshall will have a 10-day layoff before traveling to Ohio University on December 14.

MEMPHIS (2-5, 0-0 C-USA)
Junior guard Paris Leonard and senior forward Aroha Jennings led the Memphis offense with 12 and 11 points, respectively, but it wasn't enough as the Tigers were fed a 92-57 loss by Mississippi State in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse Sunday.

Jennings also had five rebounds and was one of five Memphis players to post an offensive board.

UofM was out-rebounded 25-14 at the half, in part due to junior forward Ashley Thornton picking up her third foul on the offensive end. Thornton finished with seven points and seven rebounds.

The Lady Tigers will break from competition to focus on exams and practice before hosting Belmont on December 14 at 7 p.m.

RICE (5-5, 0-0 C-USA)
Junior guard Maudess Fulton scored 16 first half points but Wake Forest outscored Rice for a 79-46 win Sunday at Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum on the Wake Forest campus.

The Owls hung tough in the opening half as Fulton connected on 6-of-8 from the floor, including a trio of 3-point baskets. The opening half featured three ties and eight lead changes before Wake Forest carried a 31-28 edge into the locker room.

Senior center Valeriya Berezhynska was held to nine points. It was the first time this season that the Rice center was held to single digits.

Rice concluded a stretch of nine out of 10 games to start of the season away from the city of Houston. The Owls take on former Southwest Conference rival TCU Thursday at Houston Baptist's Sharp Gym. Tip-off against the Horned Frogs is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.

SMU (6-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Sophomore forward Delisha Wills, C-USA Player of the Week, posted game highs with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead four Mustangs in double-figure scoring as the SMU beat North Texas, 68-62, in Denton Saturday.

The victory was the sixth in a row for the Mustangs. The last time SMU won at least six games in a row was in the 2004-05 season, when the Ponies reeled off eight straight wins.

Sophomore guard Jillian Samuels, senior post Janielle Dodds and senior forward Sharee Shepherd joined Wills with double-figure scoring totals, tallying 13, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Wills reached double figures for the fifth time in seven games.

The Ponies return home for a pair of games this week, hosting Coppin (Md.) State Thursday and UT-Arlington Saturday. Both start times are set for 7 p.m.

SOUTHERN MISS (6-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Southern Miss' Liz Biland led all scorers with a game- and career-high 22 points, followed by Pauline Love with her sixth double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, Amber Eugene added 11 points and Stephanie Helgeson chipped in 10. However, Southern Miss lost to Jacksonville State on a last second shot, 76-74, Saturday.

Southern Miss led by seven points, 72-65, at the 4:55 mark when JSU used a 9-2 run to tie the game at 74-74 with 1:39 remaining. The Lady Eagles turned the ball over on their next possession, but were able to make a defensive stop. Southern Miss could not get a shot off as the shot clock time expired. Southern Miss led by as many as 11 points in the first half. The score was tied 38-38 at intermission. The Lady Eagles finished the game shooting 51.7 percent.

Southern Miss hosts South Alabama on Tuesday at 7 p.m., before traveling to Louisiana Tech Saturday.

TULANE (6-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Senior guard Nikki Luckhurst led Tulane with nine points, but the team dropped a 52-36 decision to No. 8/7 LSU Sunday afternoon at Fogelman Arena.

Luckhurst connected on 4-of-9 from the field for the Wave. Alendra Brown and Brittany Lindsey each grabbed eight rebounds for Tulane, with Lindsey chipping in four points to Brown's three. Kendra Barnes also added four points. It was the second-straight year the Wave were held under 40 by LSU.

Tulane struggled to score with their leading scorer, Lindsey, fighting foul trouble. Barnes hit a jumper, before LSU All-American Sylvia Fowles answered with a pair of scores inside.

unior guard Megan Valicevic connected on a long two, and then drove the lane before dishing to an open Brown, as the Wave cut the margin to 22-10. Tulane held LSU to 52 points (or less) for only the 14th time in the Tigers last 593 games.

The Green Wave travels to Rhode Island on Wednesday before returning home to host the Tulane Doubletree Classic on Dec. 20-21.

TULSA (2-6, 0-0 C-USA)
Teka Brooks, Larrissa Williams, Destanie Gardner, ReShawndra Jackson and Tatum Beer all posted double-digit points for Tulsa in a 78-56 victory over UTSA on Saturday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

Gardner gave TU the go-ahead basket at the 11:14 mark in the first half and Tulsa never relinquished the lead. Williams scored 12 points for TU in the opening period, including the final basket to give the Golden Hurricane a 17-point lead, 41-24, at break. TU went on a 15-4 run to begin the second half and extend its lead to a game-best 28 points.

Brooks tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds, for her first career double-double, to go along with four assists, four steals and two blocks in the contest. With 15 points and 11 rebounds, Williams posted her seventh double-double of her career.

Tulsa held the Roadrunners to a season-low 56 points, 15 points below their season average.

The Golden Hurricane return to action on Tuesday with a 7 p.m road game at Missouri State.

UAB (2-6, 0-0 C-USA)
UAB dropped a 77-71 game that came down to the wire at Virginia Tech Sunday.

Senior guard/forward Diamond Rogers paced the Blazers with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while also adding eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists against the Hokies. Senior guard Crystal McFadden tallied 14 points and freshman guard Amanda Peterson scored a career-high 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Junior guard Britney Jones was the fourth Blazer in double figures with 10 points. Senior center Christon Ingram grabbed a team-best 10 boards and scored nine points.

The Blazers, down by 16 points at the 6:37 mark in the second half, came back within two, 73-71, with 31 seconds left in the game before free throws down the stretch gave the Hokies the six-point win.

The Blazers will return to Birmingham to play their first home game of the season Wednesday when they host Charlotte. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena.

UCF (4-4, 0-0 C-USA)
UCF second-half rally fell short as the Knights dropped a Sunday afternoon contest to Miami, 64-56, at the BankUnited Center. D'Nay Daniels paced the Black and Gold with 15 points, while Jelisa Caldwell and Marshay White each added 11 points.

The Knights shot .800 from the free throw line, which included a perfect 8-for-8 performance from Daniels. UCF also shot .440 from behind the arch, with White and Caldwell nailing three 3s a piece. Caldwell nailed another three-pointer in the second half to pull the Knights within two, 53-51, and a layup by White tied the score 53-53, the first tie of the game. But the Hurricanes scored nine-straight points with four minutes to play to put the game away.

UCF returns to Orlando to host Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Dec. 9 and Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Dec. 15.

UTEP (4-2, 0-0 C-USA)
UTEP suffered a hard-fought 66-58 loss at Kansas State in the championship game of the Commerce Bank Classic in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday.

The Miners used an incredible 16-0 run over the first 8:56 of the second period to overcome an 11-point halftime deficit, but the Wildcats clawed back to pull out the win. Guards Natasha Lacy and Jareica Hughes led the way offensively for the Miners, with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Senior guard Kasia Krezel, one of three players to foul out, got the Miners off to a good start, burying a triple from the corner on their first possession.

The two teams then traded baskets, before the Wildcats utilized a 9-0 run to vault out to a 15-7 advantage with 14:28. The Miners put the clamps down at the other end of the court, forcing the Wildcats into either taking tough shots or committing a turnover. The effort allowed UTEP to stake a 45-40 advantage with 11:31 to play after Hughes sliced through traffic for a contested lay-up.

UTEP returns home to host three games, starting with New Mexico State on Saturday, followed by Savannah State on Dec. 16 and Prairie View A&M on Dec. 18.