March 6, 2008

Box Score

Notes

Quotes

ORLANDO, Fla. - Game three of the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla., was the closest of the day so far, with No. 5 Southern Miss dispatching host and No. 12 seed UCF, 74-72.

In a game that got close late, Southern Miss used an impressive free throw performance to help them escape with the two point win. The Golden Eagles shot 92 percent (22-of-24) for the game and made 17-of-19 in the second half.

Southern Miss finished the game with five players notching double figures, led by Andrea Barber with 15. Barber also dished out a team-high five assists.

Amber Eugene tallied 14 points and added five rebounds and first team All-Conference USA honoree Pauline Love finished with 13 points. Love added a team-high eight rebounds and hit two clutch free throws late to help preserve the win.

Stephanie Helgeson finished with 11 points and six rebounds for the Golden Eagles. Helgeson also was a force inside on defense with four blocks. Kendra Reed swiped a game-high four steals and was the fifth Golden Eagle in double figures also with 11.

UCF, who sported a lineup of five freshman, had four players reach double figures. Emma Cannon led all players with 19 points and 13 rebounds. D'Nay Daniels was also impressive, scoring 18 points, while C-USA Freshman of the Year Tia Lewis registered 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Fellow freshman Marshay White chipped in with 12 points, before fouling out.

Southern Miss had a comfortable 33-26 lead at the half. Helgeson registered 10 of her 11 points in the first stanza to lead all scorers. The Golden Eagles out-shot the hosts 41 percent to 29 percent and were helped by a perfect 5-for-5 performance at the free throw line.

UCF cut into the lead to begin the second half and closed to within two at 35-33 with just over 17 minutes to play. Southern Miss then responded with a 3-pointer by Love and three consecutive layups to stretch their lead to 44-33.

Cannon hit a layup with 11 minutes to play to close the gap again to 46-42, but Southern Miss' great free throw shooting kept the game just out of reach the rest of the way.

UCF ends its season at 10-20, while Southern Miss improves to 18-12. The Golden Eagles advance to face fourth-seeded Houston at 5:30 p.m. EST on Friday.