Feb. 5, 2008

IRVING, Texas - This week kicks off the WBCA "Think Pink" campaign for the 2007-08 season. The WBCA began "Think Pink" in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. More than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year of "Think Pink" a success.

The WBCA's "Think Pink" Week will take place February 8 - 17. The WBCA requests that all schools select one game during this week to promote the initiative.

C-USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK & STATISTICS

All 12 C-USA members have signed up with more than 800 schools to promotion the education of Breast Cancer.

The following are selected C-USA "Think Pink" games.
Date Game
February 7 Tulsa at Houston
February 7 SMU at Rice
February 7 Memphis at Southern Miss

February 9 Memphis at UCF
February 9 UAB at Southern Miss

February 14 UAB at Tulsa
February 14 Memphis at SMU
February 14 Houston at UTEP
February 14 Rice at Tulane

February 15 UCF at Marshall

February 17 UCF at East Carolina
February 17 SMU at UAB
February 17 Tulsa at Memphis

http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/think-pink-2008.html

C-USA STAR WATCH
Houston's Tye Jackson became the fourth player in C-USA women's basketball history to record a triple-double. The senior guard did so with 11 points, 12 assists and 16 rebounds in an overtime win at UAB Sunday. C-USA had two players to achieve this milestone last season. Tulsa's Jillian Robbins (33pts., 14 rebs., 10 asst. vs. Memphis) and Southern Miss' Kristen Chaney (13 pts., 10 rebs., 12 asst. against Memphis).

UCF sports two of the nation's top freshmen when it comes to double-doubles. Rookie forward/center Tia Lewis leads the freshman class with 13 double-doubles, while teammate F Emma Cannon ranks fourth with 10 double-doubles on the season.

Southern Miss wraps up its five-game homestand, hosting Memphis (Thursday) and UAB (Saturday) this weekend. The Lady Eagles will be sporting "pink jerseys" in both games as part of the "Think Pink" campaign. The jerseys will be auctioned off at the conclusion of the UAB game, with Southern Miss graduate and actor Gary Grubbs serving as the auctioneer.

Marshall head coach Royce Chadwick got his 500th career win with an 77-75 overtime victory at UCF Thursday, Jan. 31 in Orlando. Victory No. 500 is also Chadwick's 100th win at Marshall.

UTEP is on the verge of breaking into the Associated Press Top-25 as the Miners appeared at No. 26 in this week's poll with 80 points. It marks the third-straight week that the Orange and Blue has garnered recognition in the AP poll, and it is the third time overall in program history that UTEP has achieved the feat. The Miners are 17-2 on the year, including a perfect 8-0 in Conference USA play. UTEP has won a school-record-setting 13 straight games, and boasts a league-best RPI of 24th. With eight league game remaining, UTEP could become the first C-USA program to march through the conference schedule untouched.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
FEBRUARY
Thursday, 7
* Tulane at East Carolina 6 p.m.
* UAB at UCF 6 p.m.
* UTEP at Marshall 6 p.m.
* Tulsa at Houston (Think Pink Game) 7 p.m.
* SMU at Rice (Think Pink Game) 7 p.m.
* Memphis at Southern Miss (Think Pink Game) 7 p.m.

Saturday, 9
* Memphis at UCF (Think Pink Game) 4 p.m.
* SMU at Houston 2 p.m.
* Tulsa at Rice 5 p.m.
* UAB at Southern Miss (Think Pink Game) 5 p.m.

Sunday, 10
* East Carolina at UTEP (ESPN2) 1:10 p.m.
* Marshall at Tulane 2 p.m.

* C-USA games

C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TYE JACKSON, HOUSTON
5-10, Senior, Guard, Houston, Texas
Jackson nearly averaged a triple-double over the weekend as Houston ran its winning streak to seven games and matched the best C-USA start in program history. The Cougars have achieved a 7-1 mark in C-USA play for the third time in school history.

Jackson tallied the fourth triple-double in Conference USA and Cougar history with 11 points, a career-best 16 rebounds and 12 assists in an 80-76 overtime win at UAB.

Against Memphis, she recorded 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Through eight league games, she has averaged 9.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 7.1 apg.

She recently became the third player in school history to surpass 1,000-career points with 300 career assists.

This is Jackson's first weekly honor this season and the third of her career.

TEAM CAPSULES
East Carolina (10-11, 4-4 C-USA)
East Carolina held off a feisty UCF team, defeating the Knights, 80-66, for its fourth-straight win Saturday in Orlando.

UCF used a 7-2 run to open the second half to retake the lead, 41-40, with 17:46 to play. The Lady Pirates responded, scoring seven unanswered points to go back on top, 47-41. Three Lauren Cochran layups and a junior G Jasmine Young basket put ECU up nine, 57-48, with 10:53 to play. Junior G Gabriela Husarova's 3-pointer with 8:15 put the Pirates up 60-57, a lead they would not give up.

Young led all scorers with 22 points, connecting on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Junior G LaToya Terry added 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Husarova pitched in 13 points and six boards. The Lady Pirates hit eight three's on the night and grabbed 50 rebounds.

ECU returns home Thursday to host Tulane at 7 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. ET game on ESPN2 at UTEP on Sunday in El Paso, Texas.

Houston (13-9, 7-1 C-USA)
Houston got a triple-double from senior G Tye Jackson on the way to an 80-76 overtime win over UAB Sunday at Bartow Arena. Houston won its seventh-straight game and fourth-straight league road game, while taking sole possession of second place in the league standings.

Jackson, the C-USA Player of the Week, finished with 11 points, and set career highs with 16 rebounds and 12 assists. It is only the third triple-double in UH history and just the fourth in C-USA history. The last UH player to tally a triple-double was Stacy Johnson against Ball State on Dec. 29, 1994.

Freshman G/F Courtney Taylor scored five of UH's 10 points in the overtime and finished with her seventh double-double of the season scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Houston returns home for a pair of games against Tulsa and SMU. The Cougars and Golden Hurricane square off Thursday at 7 p.m. CST while the Mustangs and UH face off at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Marshall (12-10, 4-4 C-USA)
Marshall was led by 17 points from sophomore G/F Alyssa Hammond while senior G Kizzy Hart finished with 11 but the Herd fell 77-51 to Southern Miss Saturday night in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Hammond and Hart were the only Herd players to finish the game in double figures. Hammond had a solid 5-of-7 day from the field while notching five rebounds. Sophomore G Chantelle Handy and junior F Kendra King also had five boards apiece to lead the team. King also chipped in nine points, including her first 3-pointer of the season. Freshman G Rebecca Bays also saw significant time, playing a career-high 13 minutes. Bays recorded her first career field goal in the first half.

The Herd will face UTEP on Thursday marking its first home game in almost three weeks. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Cam Henderson Center. Sunday, Marshall will travel to New Orleans to face Tulane before returning home for its final four home games of the season.

Memphis (6-15, 3-5 C-USA)
Memphis only led a little over six minutes of the game against Rice on Sunday afternoon, but it was the six minutes that mattered in a 62-56 win at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Junior G Jessica Hall finished with 18 points and five rebounds, while senior F Aroha Jennings scored 15 points, including an 8-for-8 mark from the free-throw line, in 23 minutes.

Junior F Ashley Thornton led Memphis with 10 rebounds, adding six points. Eight different Lady Tigers posted five or more rebounds, as Memphis outworked Rice on the glass 52-42, including 18 offensive rebounds.

Memphis will not have much time to recover from the win, as the Lady Tigers will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss, Thursday, to open a three-game road swing.

Rice (8-14, 1-7 C-USA)
Rice held a 44-39 lead with 8:01 remaining after senior F Tiffany Loggins connected on a jumper from sophomore G Tara Watts but it wasn't enough as the Owls dropped a 62-56 decision at Memphis Sunday afternoon at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Loggins fired in 15 points behind a trio of 3-balls as the Houston native strung together her third consecutive double figure outing off the bench.

Junior G Maudess Fulton added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Watts dished out a career-best six assists to go along with 10 rebounds.

The Owls were playing their eighth consecutive game without leading scorer and rebounder Valeriya Berezhynska. (ankle injury)

Rice plays host to SMU and its "Think Pink" game Thursday at Houston Baptist's Sharp Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. CT.

SMU (14-6, 4-3 C-USA)
Senior C Janielle Dodds notched her fifth double-double of the year, with 25 points and 11 rebounds, to lead SMU to an 81-69 victory over visiting Tulane Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.

The double-double also was the 35th in Dodds career. Three other Mustangs joined Dodds in scoring in double digits: sophomore F Delisha Wills scored 13 points, senior F Sharee Shepherd added 12 and senior G Katy Cobb chipped in with 11.

Dodds also closed to within 100 points of Karlin Kennedy's career scoring record (1,785 points). Dodds now has 1,687 career points.

The Mustangs now head south for a pair of games in Houston: SMU faces Rice at Houston Baptist University at 7 p.m. Thursday night, and takes on Houston at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Southern Miss (12-9, 3-5 C-USA)
Sophomore F Pauline Love tied a season-high point total with 24, while three other Southern Miss players scored in double figures as the Eagles defeated Marshall, 77-51, Saturday at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Eagles won for the second time in the last three games, as they scored more than 70 points for the third-straight game.

Love reached the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season, tying her career mark that she initially set against Sam Houston State (Nov. 9) in the season opener.

Joining Love in double figures for the Eagles was sophomore F/C Stephanie Helgeson with 17 points, along with 12 from junior G Amber Eugene and 10 from junior G Kendra Reed. Junior G Andrea Barber added nine assists for the home squad.

Southern Miss returns to action Thursday when they entertain Memphis in a 7 p.m., contest at Green Coliseum.

Tulane (11-10, 1-7 C-USA)
Sophomoe G Chassity Brown scored a career-high 23 points with five 3-pointers, but Tulane fell at SMU, 81-69, Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum.

Junior G Ashley Langford added 16 points and freshman F Brittany Lindsey chipped in 13 points.

Langford added seven assists on the day, while Brown added three steals.

The Green Wave, who had struggled from behind the 3-point arc, connected on seven treys, including five by Brown. Tulane shot 45.3 percent for the game.

In the second half, the Green Wave opened with an 8-2 run, highlighted by four points from freshman G Tiffany Aidoo and lay-up from Brown.

Tulane takes on East Carolina Thursday to conclude a four-game road trip. The Wave and Pirates tip-off at 6 p.m. CT in Greenville, N.C.

Tulsa (9-12, 5-3 C-USA)
Sophomore F Larrissa Williams tallied 16 points, 15 rebounds and blocked five shots for Tulsa on Saturday at the Donald W. Reynolds Center, but it wasn't enough as the Golden Hurricane fell 58-44 to UTEP.

Freshman G ReShawndra Jackson put up nine points and seven rebounds, while freshman C Kara Vaughan totaled three steals for the Golden Hurricane.

Tulsa got on the board first off a three-pointer by Jackson, and junior F/C Chanel Johnson put the Golden Hurricane up 5-2. UTEP's Timika Williams posted a layup at the 17:25 mark to put the Miners ahead 7-6, and they never relinquished the lead, taking a 30-22 advantage into the break.

Tulsa returns to action on Thursday at Houston. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Hofheinz Pavilion.

UAB (10-11, 6-2 C-USA)
Senior G/F Diamond Rogers scored a career- and game-high 29 points and became the newest member of the 1,000-point club, but UAB dropped an overtime contest to Houston, 80-76, Sunday afternoon at Bartow Arena.

Rogers nabbed her fifth double-double of the season by adding 10 rebounds. Despite just having nine points at halftime, Rogers nailed a pair of free throws at 11:23 in the second half to surpass the 1,000-point milestone.

Junior G Brittany Jones had a big night for UAB with 23 points, led by a quartet of three pointers, and nine rebounds.

UAB went up by four, 47-43, on two free throws by sophomore F Erica Simpson at the 11:02 mark. A trio of layups by the Cougars gave them the lead back, 51-49, at 9:17.

UAB will be back in action when it travels to Orlando, Fla., to take on UCF on Thursday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

UCF (8-13, 1-7 C-USA)
UCF dropped a pair of games to Marshall and East Carolina this past week. The Knights dropped a heartbreaking 77-75 decision to the Thundering Herd on Thursday.

Freshman G Angelica Mealing nailed on off-balance three-pointer from just inside half court to send the game into overtime, but Marshall out-scored UCF 11-9 in the extra period. Freshman F Emma Cannon led the way for UCF on Thursday with 19 points and 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the year.

On Saturday, the Pirates out-rebounded UC,F 50-32, en route to an 80-66 win against the Knights. Freshman G Marshay White scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Knights vs. East Carolina.

Freshman F Tia Lewis leads the team, averaging 12.8 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game. Cannon follows with 11.2 ppg and 9.3 rpg, while White adds 11.0 ppg.

UCF closes out its four-game homestand this week when it faces UAB on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Memphis on Saturday at 5 p.m., with both games being played in the new UCF Arena.

UTEP (17-2, 8-0 C-USA)
Led by sophomore F Timika Williams' 20-point, seven-rebound effort, UTEP picked up its 13th-straight victory with a 58-44 win at Tulsa at the Donald W. Reynolds Center Saturday afternoon.

Additionally, the Orange and Blue are now 7-2 on the road (5-0 away from home in league play).

The Miners were much more efficient offensively against Tulsa with only 10 giveaways. UTEP was unselfish as well, compiling 13 assists.

The Miners put things on cruise control in the second half, quickly extending their advantage to double digits. UTEP took its largest advantage of the tilt (17) with 3:38 left in the game on a jumper by Williams.

UTEP remains on the road with a game at Marshall on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, before returning home to host East Carolina on ESPN2 on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.