Feb. 18, 2008

IRVING, Texas - With two weeks remaining in regular season action, Conference USA is one of two leagues that currently has a men's team and a women's team still unbeaten in Conference play.

The Memphis men (11-0) and UTEP women (12-0) are joined by the Davidson men (17-0) and Chattanooga women (14-0) from the Southern Conference in not suffering a league loss this year.

The last time that a conference had both a men's team and a women's go undefeated in league play throughout a season was 2002-03 when both the Ivy League and the SEC accomplished it.

C-USA has never had a women's team go through a conference season without a loss.

FEB.18: C-USA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK & STATISTICS

UTEP MOVES UP AP TOP 25 POLL
For the first time in the 34-year history of the program, UTEP surged into the Associated Press Top 25 Poll on Feb. 11. A week later, the Miners climbed up to No. 19 in the weekly poll with 244 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. 9 in the final AP Poll in 2003-04. UH'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 two teams have gone through the conference schedule with just one loss. DePaul achieved a 13-1 C-USA record twice (1995-96 and 2004-05), while Houston did so most recently in 2003-04.

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

MINER RECORDS:
-UTEP owns a program-best and C-USA record for most consecutive wins with 17.
-Tied for the most NCAA Division I most consecutive wins (17) with UT-Chattanooga.
-Owns the league's best start in conference play at 12-0. Memphis went 11-0 during the 1997-98 campaign.
-UTEP has won a program-best seven consecutive road games.
-The Miners have a program-best start at 21-2, and are off to their best opening in league play through 12 games at 12-0.

C-USA PRODUCES TRIPLE-DOUBLES
Conference USA has had two players to produce a triple-double this season. Houston Tye Jackson became the fourth player in C-USA history to record a triple-double. The senior guard did so with 11 points, 12 assists and 16 rebounds in a overtime win at UAB on Feb. 3.

Rice's senior center Valeriya Berezhynska recorded the program's first career triple-double after she dished out a career-best 10 assists to go along with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a in 78-73 victory at Tulane on Thursday (Feb. 14) in a nationally televised contest on CSTV.

C-USA had two players to achieve this milestone last season. Tulsa's Jillian Robbins (33pts., 14 rebs., 10 asst. vs. Memphis, 2/15) and Southern Miss' Kristen Chaney (13 pts., 10 rebs., 12 asst. against Memphis, 1/7).

A total of five C-USA players have achieved this milestone. The first was Kalara McFadyen of Memphis (10pts., 10 rebs., 12 asst. vs. Charlotte on Feb. 3, 2002).

C-USA ranks second to the West Coast Conference with most triple-doubles. The WCC has three, followed by C-USA's two and one each by the America East and Big Ten Conferences.

LUCKHUST BREAKS INTO TOP 10 LIST FOR MOST CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE
Tulane senior guard Nikki Luckhust hit nine 3-pointers last week to break into C-USA's all-time top 10 list for most made treys. Luckhust has 180 made 3-pointers to rank third on Tulane's all-time list and 10th best in C-USA history.

C-USA HAS 10-PLAYERS WITH 1,000-PLUS CAREER POINTS
Conference USA has had eight players join the 1,000-point club this season. A total of 10 current student-athletes and seven universities are represented. UAB, East Carolina and UTEP have two each, while Southern Miss and Rice are on the verge of having two.

SMU RECORDS 12TH-LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY IN A C-USA GAME
SMU's 44-point win over Memphis, 93-49, on Feb. 14, marked the second largest in program history and the 12th largest margin of victory for a C-USA regular season game. SMU's largest margin of victory is 46 points over TCU, 94-48, on Jan. 25, 1995.

UPCOMING GAMES (ALL TIMES CT)
FEBRUARY
Thursday, 21
Memphis at Marshall 6 p.m.
UAB at East Carolina (CSTV) 6 p.m.
Rice at SMU 7 p.m.
Houston at Tulsa 7 p.m.

Friday, 22
Tulane at UCF 6 p.m.
#19 UTEP at Southern Miss 7 p.m.

Saturday, 23
Memphis at East Carolina 1 p.m.
Houston at SMU 2 p.m.
UAB at Marshall 4 p.m.
Rice at Tulsa 7 p.m.

Sunday, 24
#19 UTEP at UCF 1 p.m.
Tulane at Southern Miss 2 p.m.

All C-USA games

C-USA CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
NATASHA LACY, UTEP
5-10, Senior, Guard, El Paso, Texas
Lacy averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 4.0 assists per game to lead UTEP to a pair of double-digit wins. She recorded 10 of her 12 points in the first half against Houston. She also had four steals, four rebounds and three assists against the Cougars. In the 65-53 win against Rice, Lacy led the way with a season-high 23 points, to go along with eight boards, four helpers, three steals and two blocks. Ten of those points came during the decisive 24-4 run in the second period to turn a one-point deficit into an eventual 19-point lead. She also added two late free throws to ice the contest, as the Owls had trimmed the deficit to nine points.

VALERIYA BEREZHYNSKA, RICE
6-4, Senior, Center, Nikolaev, Ukraine
Berezhynska made history last week by turning in the program's first career triple-double in a 78-73 win at Tulane on CSTV Thursday. She dished out a career-best 10 assists to go along with 14 points and 12 rebounds, becoming the second C-USA player this year and fifth in league history to produce a triple-double. The Ukraine native carried that momentum into the weekend by scoring 11 of her game-high 24 points in the opening half at No. 24 UTEP Saturday, giving Rice a 27-26 halftime advantage. Berezhynska ended the game hitting an 11-of-12 free throw attempts and collecting five rebounds. She averaged 19.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in her second weekend back from an injury that forced her to miss Rice's first eight conference games.

TEAM CAPSULES
East Carolina (12-13, 6-6 C-USA)
The fifth largest crowd in Minges Coliseum history, 3,227, saw East Carolina defeat UCF, 78-69, Sunday afternoon in its "Think Pink" game.

Junior G LaCoya Terry scored her 1,000th career point in the contest, becoming the eighth C-USA player to do so. She joins current teammate G Jasmine Young in the elite club. Young surpassed the milestone on Dec. 30.

Freshman G Allison Spivey led the Lady Pirates with 14 points, while Terry chipped in 13, giving her 1,012 for her career. Young also finished with 13 points while sophomore F/C Lauren Cochran added 10.

East Carolina will host UAB on Thursday in an 8 p.m. ET tilt. The game will be broadcast live on CSTV. The Lady Pirates will then host Memphis on Saturday in the final home game of the 2007-08 season. Senior F Nicole Days will be honored prior to the 2 p.m. tip.

Houston (14-12, 8-4 C-USA)
Houston made a late rally but could not overcome an 11-point halftime deficit and suffered a 73-69 loss at Tulane Saturday in Conference USA action at Fogelman Arena in New Orleans.

Senior G Tye Jackson knocked down three triples in the final 27 seconds of the game to pull Houston within two, 71-69, with 2.5 seconds to go.

Senior G Twiggy McIntyre led UH with 18 points. She was 8-for-10 from the free-throw line and also grabbed five rebounds. Senior F Ryan Meyers made her first start in 15 games and responded with a season-high 10 rebounds. She also added four points, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

UH continues a four-game league road swing at Tulsa and SMU this weekend. The Cougars take on the Golden Hurricane at 7 p.m. CST Thursday at the Reynolds Center before facing off with the Mustangs at 2 p.m. Saturday at Moody Coliseum.

Marshall (13-13, 5-7 C-USA)
Marshall's trio of sophomore guards Alix Barnette, Alyssa Hammond and Kizzy Hart combined for 47 points against Southern Miss but the Golden Eagles came away with a 77-67 win over the Thundering Herd Sunday afternoon at the Cam Henderson Center.

Barnette registered a season-high 16 points, going 6-of-10 from the field and notching three rebounds and three assists. Hammond also had 16 points to go along with five boards. Hart, who had a season-high 25 points Friday against UCF, finished the game with 15 points and five rebounds.

Sophomore G Chantelle Handy was once again solid, tallying eight point and five rebounds, while junior G Casey Baker dished out nine assists, six rebounds, six points and five steals.

Marshall wraps up its home schedule beginning Thursday against Memphis at 7 p.m. ET. Saturday's game against UAB will mark Senior Day and will be the second game in a doubleheader with the men's team.

Memphis (8-17, 5-7 C-USA)
Memphis jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead and never looked back in a 72-49 win over Tulsa Sunday in Memphis.

Sophomore PG LaToya Bullard finished with a team-high 15 points, adding eight assists, four steals and two rebounds in 30 minutes of play. Junior F Ashley Thornton fell just short of a double-double, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds, adding two assists and two steals in 28 minutes. Junior P Jessica Jackson came off the bench to scored eight points with six rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals in the win.

A full court Lady Tiger press pushed Tulsa into 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of action, sprinting out to a 23-7 lead at 10:13.

Memphis will play its final regular season road series this weekend, playing at Marshall, Thursday, and at East Carolina, Saturday.

Rice (10-16, 3-9 C-USA)
Rice battle back in the second half to cut No. 24 UTEP lead to eight points but the Miners hung on for a 65-63 win over the Owls Saturday evening at the Don Haskins Center on the UTEP campus.

After a 24-4 UTEP run, Rice fired back with 11 of the next 12 points capped by senior C Valeriya Berezhyska 3-point play to make 58-49 with 3:05 left. C-USA Co-Player of the Week, Berezhynska battled for her game-high 24 points and converted 11-of-12 at the free throw line.

Senior G Kadie Riverin buried a mid-range jumper to bring the Owls back to 61-53 with 58 seconds to go. Riverin and freshman F Morgan Mayse added eight points apiece, while sophomore G Tara Watts notched nine points. The Miners converted on all four of their free throw attempts for the final margin of 65-53.

Rice returns to the road Thursday at SMU. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. CT.

SMU (19-6, 9-3 C-USA)
SMU won its fifth consecutive road game for the first time in 19 years and senior F Sharee Shepherd set an SMU record for most steals in a single game with nine as the Mustangs rolled to a 84-51 win over UAB in Birmingham Sunday.

Shepherd's nine steals ranks second best in C-USA history for an overall and league game. Ten thefts is the record in both categories.

The victory moves the Ponies into sole possession of second place in the conference standings with four regular-season games to go.

Senior G Katy Cobb led the balanced offense with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Sophomore forwards Delisha Wills and Brittany Gilliam had 12 points apiece. Shepherd and senior P Janielle Dodds each produced a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and 10 points and 13 boards, respectively.

The Mustangs return to Dallas for their final two home games, starting with Rice Thursday at 7 p.m. and Houston Saturday at 2 p.m.

Southern Miss (15-10, 6-6 C-USA)
Junior G Kendra Reed scored a season-high 23 points, including 18 in the first half, in leading Southern Miss past Marshall, 77-67, Sunday afternoon inside Reed Coliseum.

Southern Miss placed three other players in double-figures with sophomore F Pauline Love and junior G Amber Eugene with 14 points apiece, while junior G Andrea Barber chipped in 10.

Southern Miss opened up the second half with a 14-point lead, 46-32. The Lady Eagles scored six-straight points in the first 1:11 of the half to watch their lead grow to 15-points, 60-45, at the 9:28 mark in the half.

Southern Miss returns to action when the Lady Eagles host the league leader UTEP, Friday at 7 p.m., then close out the home portion of their schedule with senior day against Tulane at 2 p.m.

Tulane (14-11, 4-8 C-USA)
Five players were in double-figure scoring as Tulane won for the third time in four games, with a 73-69 win over Houston Saturday afternoon at Fogelman Arena.

Senior G Nikki Luckhurst continued her hot shooting with a team-high 18 points. Luckhurst, who scored a season-best 23 points on Thursday, hit four 3-pointers to lead Tulane for the second-straight game.

Junior G/F Megan Valicevic was two rebounds shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot. Sophomore G Chassity Brown added 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. Senior F/C Alendra Brown added 11 points and six rebounds, while junior G Ashley Langford added 10 points and five assists.

Tulane travels to UCF for a Friday tip-off with the Knights at 6 p.m. CT. The Green Wave will then take on Southern Miss on Sunday at 2 p.m. before returning to Fogelman Arena to wrap up the C-USA regular season.

Tulsa (9-16, 5-7 C-USA)
Sophomore F/C Larrissa Williams scored a team-best 19 points for Tulsa Sunday at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse in Memphis, but it wasn't enough as TU dropped a 72-49 decision to the Lady Tigers.

Tulsa out-rebounded Memphis, 46-44, as Williams pulled down a game-best nine boards and junior F/C Chanel Johnson was just one-shy of that with eight. Johnson, along with sophomore F Teka Brooks, posted two blocks a piece, while sophomore G Adria Phillips had a team-leading two steals.

Tulsa will return to action on Thursday against Houston. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

UAB (12-13, 8-4 C-USA)
Senior G/F Diamond Rogers led the Blazers with 12 points and eight rebounds but it wasn't enough as UAB fell to SMU, 84-51, Sunday evening in Bartow Arena.

Rogers also had a team-high eight rebounds and three assists to accompany her 12 points.

Sophomore C Amanda Scott was the only other Blazer to score in double figures with 10 points. Senior G LaKitha Murray had a team-best three steals for UAB.

UAB's shooting improved to 26.1 percent in the second half, but SMU shot 62.5 percent in the final period to hold on for the win.

Nine of the Blazers' 19 first-half points came from the free throw line.

UAB will be back in action on Thursday when they travel to Greenville, N.C., to take on East Carolina. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on CSTV.

UCF (8-17, 1-11 C-USA)
UCF was led by freshman G D'Nay Daniels' game-high 20 points as one of three Knights in double-figure scoring, but UCF was handed a 78-69 loss by East Carolina on Sunday in Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C.

Freshman G Chelsie Wiley tied her career high with 16 points, while freshman G Marshay White added 11 points and a squad-best five assists. Freshman F/C Tia Lewis led the team in rebounding for the 18th time this season.

The Knights, who shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first half, finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (30-of-69). UCF knocked down six 3-pointers in the game, with each of its long-range makes coming in the second half.

UCF returns to action Friday when it plays host to Tulane. Tip-off in the New UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m.

No. 19 UTEP (19-2, 10-0 C-USA)
UTEP (21-2, 12-0 C-USA) Senior G Natasha Lacy, sophomore G Jareica Hughes and senior C Izabela Piekarska combined for 59 points to lead No. 24 UTEP past Rice, 65-53, at the Don Haskins Center Saturday evening in front of 2,813 fans.

The trio, in addition to the scoring, accounted for 24 rebounds, 10 assists, six steals and five blocks.

The Miners have won 17 games in a row-which equals the longest unbeaten streak in the nation and undefeated (12-0) in league play. It marks the best opening in the history of the conference, as Memphis won its first 11 contests during the 1997-98 season.

In a game in which UTEP had some challenges offensively, the Miners' defense carried them through the tough patches. The Orange and Blue held their program-record seventh straight opponent below 35 percent from the floor.

The Miners will be back in action against Southern Miss on Friday before taking on UCF on Sunday to wrap up the road portion of the C-USA slate.