Feb. 11, 2008

IRVING, Texas - For the first time in the 34-year history of the program, UTEP has surged into the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The Miners are rated 24th in the poll released on Monday, checking in with 112 points.

UTEP becomes the first C-USA program to appear in the AP Top 25 under the league's new membership, which was established in 2005-06.

Current member Houston was the last ranked team in C-USA. The Cougars appeared at No. 22 in the Dec. 20, 2004, AP Poll, after finishing the 2003-04 campaign ranked No. 9. Houston's No. 9 ranking remains the highest by any C-USA member, current or former.

During the 2003-04 campaign, the league had three teams (DePaul, Houston, TCU) to appear among the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 Poll six different weeks.

Only one team has gone through the conference schedule with just one loss. DePaul achieved a 13-1 C-USA record twice (1995-96 and 2004-05).

No program in league history has marched through the conference schedule untouched. UTEP has six games remaining to claim this honor.

MINER RECORDS:
* UTEP owns a program-best and C-USA record for most consecutive wins with 15.

* Ranks second for most consecutive wins (15) during the 2007-08 season, trailing only UT-Chattanooga's 16 straight.

* UTEP is just one win shy of matching the league's best start in conference play at 11-0. Memphis accomplished this task during the 1997-98 campaign.

* UTEP has won a program-best seven consecutive road games.

* The Miners have equaled their second-best start in program history at 19-2, and are off to their best opening in league play through 10 games at 10-0.

C-USA WOMEN'S BASKTEBALL NOTEBOOK & STATISTICS - FEB. 11

C-USA STAR WATCH
UCF suits up a pair of freshmen forwards that have made their numbers take notice this season among their peers. The duo of Tia Lewis and Emma Cannon have posted 14 and 10, respectively, double-doubles on the season, figures that rank first and third best on an unofficial NCAA Freshmen Double-Doubles list.

Tulane guard Ashley Langford became just the fifth player in Conference USA history to dish out more than 500 assists in her career. The junior owns 501 to date heading into games against Rice and Houston this week.

Two C-USA players have scored 30-or-more points this season. Rice's Valeriy Berezhynska poured in 31 at Winthrop on Nov. 11, followed by Houston's Tye Jackson scoring 31 points at Cal State Bakerfield on Nov. 13.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
FEBRUARY
Thursday, 14
Memphis at SMU 7 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)
Rice at Tulane 7 p.m.
UAB at Tulsa 7 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)
Houston at UTEP 8 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)

Friday, 15
Southern Miss at East Carolina 6 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)
UCF at Marshall 6 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)

Saturday, 16
Houston at Tulane 2 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)
Rice at UTEP 8:05 p.m.

Sunday, 17
UCF at East Carolina 1 p.m.
Southern Miss at Marshall 1 p.m.
Tulsa at Memphis 2 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)
SMU at UAB 2 p.m. (THINK PINK GAME)

All C-USA games

C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
STEPHANIE HELGESON, SOUTHERN MISS
6-4, Sophomore, Center, River Ridge, La.

Helgeson led Southern Miss to a pair of home C-USA wins last week. The Lady Eagles defeated Memphis, 76-56, Thursday before upsetting UAB, 77-64, on Saturday.

Helgeson finished the week averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She also shot the league's third-best field goal percentage of .625 (15-of-24) and went a solid 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the line, for the week.

In the team's upset victory over UAB, she scored a career-high 26 points, including eight during a 16-0 run to give the Lady Eagles a double-digit lead. She also scored four crucial points and had two blocks down the stretch to hold off a late UAB run.

The sophomore tied for top honors for most blocked shots for the week with six in just 34.5 minutes per game.

She was one of five players to score in double figures against Memphis with 13 points, hitting 6-of-8 attempts (.750) from the field. Helgeson added four blocks to go with four assists and two steals against the Tigers.

This is Helgeson's first weekly honor of her career.

TEAM CAPSULES
East Carolina (10-13, 4-6 C-USA)
Junior G Jasmine Young led all Pirate scorers with 18 points, followed by junior G LaCoya Terry chipping in nine but East Carolina suffered an 81-53 loss, to UTEP Sunday as part of ESPN's February Frenzy.

Young was .500 from beyond the arc, going 4-for-8.

East Carolina owned the lead for the first six minutes (7-4), taking the three point advantage on a jumper from junior G Gabriela Husarova jumper at the 14:20 mark.

ECU returns home for a four-game homestand, beginning on Friday as the Pirates host Southern Miss in a 7 p.m. game.

UCF comes to Greenville on Sunday for the East Carolina "Think Pink" game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game and anyone who does wear pink will be admitted for free.

Houston (14-10, 8-2 C-USA)
Freshman G Jasmine Johnson had a breakout game, scoring a career-best 14 points in 27 minutes, but Houston saw its eight-game winning streak come to a halt with a 74-51 loss to SMU Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

Johnson was the only UH player in double figures and was 6-for-7 from the field with a pair of three pointers.

The Cougars younger players saw extended minutes in the second half and several responded with season-best performances. Zane Jakobsone scored a career-high eight points and Brittany Mason had seven rebounds and a block.

Freshman G/F Courtney Taylor played only 15 minutes after suffering a leg injury early in the second half. She finished with four points, five rebounds and two blocks.

UH starts a four-game road swing at league-leading and No. 24 UTEP Thursday at 8 p.m. CST.

Marshall (12-12, 4-6 C-USA)
Down by 14 points in the second half, Marshall clawed back to within one, but it would be too late as Tulane would hit six free throws over the final two minutes to top the Thundering Herd, 61-56, Sunday at Fogelman Arena.

The Herd found itself down nine points with 3:59 left in the contest. A three by sophomore G Alix Barnette and a lay-up by freshman F Tynikki Crook cut the lead to two, and two free throws with 1:11 remaining by senior F Meagan Samis cut the lead to one.

Sophomore G/F Alyssa Hammond once again led the way for Marshall, scoring a game-high 14 points. Junior G Casey Baker finished with 13 point and senior G Kizzy Hart added 10. Baker was also credited with five steals, four rebounds and four assists. Crook and Samis led the Herd with five boards.

After playing five out of its last six games on the road, Marshall returns home for its final four games, beginning with UCF on Friday and Southern Miss on Sunday.

Memphis (7-16, 4-6 C-USA)
With three different players scoring double-digit points, including an eighth career double-double from junior F Ashley Thornton, Memphis salvaged a split weekend with a 78-68 win at UCF Saturday.

Junior G Jessica Hall, playing in front of a significant home-state crowd, led Memphis with 21 points. She also had three steals.

Junior G Paris Leonard finished with 18 points, while Thornton added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior F Aroha Jennings and Leonard were both coming off scoreless outings at Southern Miss to score big points for the Lady Tigers Saturday. Jennings finished with nine points and four rebounds in 24 minutes of play.

Memphis will wrap up the three-game road swing at SMU on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Rice (9-15, 2-8 C-USA)
Senior G Kadie Riverin poured in 20 points for the third time in the last four games, while freshman F Morgan Mayse scored a career-best 18 points to lift Rice to a 69-59 victory over Tulsa Saturday afternoon at Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houtson campus.

Rice ended a five-game skid and won at Hofheinz Pavilion for the first time since the 1995 season. The game was played at Hofheinz Pavilion due to HBU's Homecoming weekend.

The Owls turned back to Riverin and Mayse, who connected on all six of their free-throw attempts in the final 48 seconds. Rice went 18-for-21 for the game at the line. Mayse also picked up a steal on the defensive end with 32 seconds to go.

Rice embarks on a four-game road swing Thursday at Tulane. Tip-off against the Green Wave is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on CSTV.

SMU (17-6, 7-3 C-USA)
SMU got 17 points apiece from sophomore F Brittany Gilliam and senior P Janielle Dodds and used a 13-2 run at the end of the first half to picked up a 74-51 victory over Houston at Hofheinz Pavilion Saturday afternoon.

The win completed the second sweep of a two-game road trip for this season for the Mustangs, who won at East Carolina Jan. 18 and at Marshall Jan. 20. The victories over ECU, Marshall, Rice and Houston give SMU sweeps of road trips against conference opponents for the first time in the 33-year history of the program.

SMU is now 11 games over .500 for the first time since starting the 2004-05 season by winning 12 of the first 13 games.

Senior G Sharee Shepherd led the Mustangs with 13 rebounds and five steals - the eighth game this year in which she had at least five thefts.

The Mustangs return home to face Memphis at 7 p.m. Thursday at Moody Coliseum.

Southern Miss (14-9, 5-5 C-USA)
Sophomore C Stephanie Helgeson tallied a season-high 26 points and sophomore F Pauline Love tallied her 15th double-double of the season as Southern Miss defeated UAB, 77-64, Saturday at Reed Green Coliseum. Helgeson was named C-USA Player of the Week for her efforts.

Love had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Lady Eagles, while junior G Andrea Barber added nine points which included some clutch free throws down the stretch to go along with seven assists.

Southern Miss won for the third-straight time and fourth time in the last five games.

The team built a big first-half lead on the strength of a 16-0 run over almost a seven-minute span and led, 36-22, at the half. Helgeson tallied eight points during that spurt as he finished by hitting 9-of-16 shots from the floor.

The Lady Eagles return to action Friday when they travel to league foe East Carolina. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.

Tulane (13-10, 3-7 C-USA)
Freshman G Tiffany Aidoo tied her career high with 13 points and set a personal-best in rebounds with seven as Tulane outlasted Marshall Sunday afternoon, 61-56, at Fogelman Arena. Freshman F Brittany Lindsey scored 12 points and junior G Ashley Langford chipped in 11 points.

Langford became the fifth player in Conference USA to reach 500 career assists, doing so as just a junior. Tulane's all-time assist leader now has 501 in her career. Senior F/C Alendra Brown Tulane on the glass with nine rebounds and a team-best four assists.

The Green Wave are back in action on Thursday at Fogelman Arena in a 7 p.m. tip-off against Rice. The game will air nationally on CSTV, and is part of the national "Think Pink!" Program. Both teams will warm up in pink, and fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in support of breast cancer awareness. The Green Wave will make a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation for each free throw made in the game.

Tulsa (9-14, 5-5 C-USA)
Junior F/C Chanel Johnson had a team-leading 21 points and 14 rebounds for Tulsa, but the Golden Hurricane dropped a 69-59 decision to Rice Saturday at the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas.

Sophomore F/C Larrissa Williams finished with 13 points and eight boards, while freshman G ReShawndra Jackson had seven points and a team-leading three steals.

Johnson got the ball rolling for the Golden Hurricane as she scored nine of TU's first 11 points in the contest, and went into the break with 17. TU and Rice kept it close, tying the game five times in the first 20 minutes.

In the second half, the game was tied four more times, but the Owls took a 60-59 lead with 3:58 remaining, and scored nine more unanswered points to finish with the 10-point advantage.

TU returns to action on Thursday against UAB. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

UAB (11-12, 7-3 C-USA)
UAB fell to host Southern Miss, 77-64, Saturday at the Reed Green Coliseum. The Blazers were paced by senior G Crystal McFadden with 21 points, while fellow senior G/F Diamond Rogers grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.

McFadden's 21 points came on 10-of-22 shooting, including one bucket from beyond the arc. McFadden also added four rebounds and a team-best four assists for UAB.

Freshman G Amanda Peterson tallied 15 points on five treys, while junior G Britney Jones had 11 points and a team-best three steals. Rogers scored seven points to go along with her 12 boards for the Blazers.

UAB returns to action on Thursday when it travels to Tulsa, Okla., to take on the Golden Hurricane. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

UCF (8-15, 1-9 C-USA)
UCF dropped a pair of games to UAB and Memphis last week. Freshman F Emma Cannon scored a career-high 24 points in an 85-67 loss to UAB on Thursday. The Knights rallied back from a 15-point halftime deficit against Memphis, but couldn't complete the comeback on Saturday, falling 78-68.

Cannon led UCF during the week, averaging 19.0 ppg in just 27.0 mpg of action. Freshman F/C Tia Lewis averaged a double-double on the week with 11.0 ppg and 11.5 rpg.

On the year, Lewis leads the team in both categories, averaging 12.6 ppg and 11.8 rpg, while Cannon follows with 11.9 ppg and 9.2 rpg. Freshman G Marshay White adds 11.1 ppg.

UCF returns to action on Friday when it travels to Huntington, W.Va., to face Marshall. Tip-off in the Cam Henderson Center is slated for 7 p.m. ET.

UTEP (19-2, 10-0 C-USA)
The 24th-ranked UTEP Miners defeated East Carolina, 81-53, in front of 7,003 fans at the Don Haskins Center Sunday afternoon as part of ESPN's February Frenzy.

The Miners scored for 51 second-half points, including 45 points during the final 13:22 in which UTEP out-scored ECU, 45-16, on the way to notching its C-USA record 15th consecutive victory.

The 81 points equal the campaign high for the Orange and Blue, while the 28-point margin of victory is the largest in a C-USA.

Four Miners cracked double figures for UTEP, with senior G Natasha Lacy's 20 points pacing the squad, while senior G Kasia Krezel finished with 17 points, including 12 via the 3-point shot. Sophomore G Jareica Hughes and senior F Tasha Marisett contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore F Timika Williams also played well, chipping in nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

UTEP will be back in action against Houston, which is in second place in C-USA at 8-2, at the Don Haskins Center for a 7:05 p.m. MT tip on Thursday.