TCU clinched its first-ever C-USA Tournament title, after defeating Cincinnati, 85-76 in overtime on Sunday; K.B. SHARP set a Conference USA Tournament record for shooting percentage, making 8-of-9 shots from the field (88.9 percent), including all three three-point attempts, and made 7-of-7 free throw attempts. Catch up on all last week's C-USA Tournament news in the C-USA Women's Basketball Notebook.

TCU CLINCHES FIRST-EVER C-USA TOURNAMENT TITLE
TCU, who was seeded No. 5, became the lowest seed in league history to win the C-USA Tournament title, defeating Cincinnati, 85-76, in overtime on March 9 at The Pyramid in Memphis. TCU improves to 19-13 overall and earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. SANDORA IRVIN, who was named the tourney MVP, scored a game-high 26 points and a career-high 19 rebounds to lead the Horned Frogs. All-Tournament honoree CANDACE BALDWIN followed with 18, while TIFFANY EVANS added 12 points and eight rebounds. Cincinnati's VALERIE KING, DEBBIE MERRILL and K.B. SHARP also earned C-USA All-Tournament accolades.


CHARLOTTE CAPTURES FIRST-EVER
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

With an 86-80 victory over Tulane on March 2, the Charlotte 49ers captured their first Conference USA regular season championship. Charlotte solidified sole possession of the title, after Cincinnati, who was tied with the 49ers with an 11-2 conference mark heading into Sunday's games, was upset by Saint Louis, 69-63.

This season, Charlotte recorded its best record ever in C-USA play with a 12-2 mark and have also notched the most wins in a season since 1992, when the Niners went 20-8. Charlotte has now won three straight and nine of their last 11 games overall. The regular season championship is the first for the 49ers since sharing the 1990 Sun Belt title.


KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES
Houston's CHANDI JONES has moved into the top 10 on C-USA's all-time scoring list. She currently ranks fifth with 1,965 points. Jones made history last season, when she became the fastest player in C-USA history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She earned her 1,000th point in 46 games, bypassing UAB's Deanna Jackson (1998-02), who recorded her 1,000th point in 57 games. She is now well on her way to making history again.

FRESHMEN LEADERS
Several of the top newcomers have made their presence noticed this season. Currently, DePaul's KHARA SMITH, who was redshirted last season, leads the freshmen class in scoring (13.3 pg) and rebounding (8.1 pg). Marquette's CAROLYN KIEGER leads the newcomers with 4.31 assists per game, and ranks second behind Smith in scoring (11.2 pg).

NO SOPHOMORE JINX
This season, two of the top five scorers in C-USA are sophomores. Currently, Cincinnati's DEBBIE MERRILL ranks second with 18.4 points per game, while East Carolina's JENNIFER JACKSON nabbed third place with 17.6 points per game. SANDORA IRVIN of TCU leads the second-year class with 9.3 rebounds per game to rank fifth overall, while Merrill follows in sixth (8.3 rpg).



AROUND C-USA...

CHARLOTTE (21-7, 12-2 C-USA)
Charlotte suffered a 78-65 loss to TCU in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament. The Niners were led by All-Conference honoree PEACHES HARRIS, who posted 18 points. The Charlotte 49ers are now 21-8 overall. The 21 wins are the most for the program since it won 23 in 1990-91. Prior to KATIE MEIER's hiring as head coach, Charlotte had lost 18 games or more for six seasons in a row. This is the team's second-straight winning season under Meier. Last season, the 49ers finished with a 16-13 record. The last time the 49ers put together back-to-back winning seasons was 1992-93 (16-12) and 1993-94 (14-13), nine years ago.

CINCINNATI (23-7, 11-3 C-USA)
Cincinnati fell to TCU, 85-76, in overtime at the C-USA Tournament Championship game on Sunday. The Bearcats were led by VALERIE KING, who notched 24 points, while DEBBIE MERRILL added 16. It marked the third time that the UC Bearcats have advanced to the C-USA finals. It marked only the second time in league history that the finals was played in overtime. Memphis captured the inaugural title in 1996 in overtime. K.B. SHARP set a Conference USA Tournament record for shooting percentage, making 8-of-9 shots from the field (88.9 percent), including all three three-point attempts, and made 7-of-7 free throw attempts. UC finishes the season 23-7 and awaits its postseason fate when 2003 NCAA Tournament Bracket is released on Sunday.

DE PAUL (22-9, 10-4 C-USA)
DePaul defeated Louisville, 66-57, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament, but later fell to Cincinnati, 81-64 in the semifinals. It marked the second time in three years that the Bearcats defeated the Blue Demons in the semifinal round. Head coach DOUG BRUNO is only one win away from becoming the first C-USA coach to reach 300 wins at one school. He currently has a record of 299-197 in 17 years at the Blue Demon helm. Next Sunday, when the NCAA bracket is announced, DePaul will be looking for its 15th postseason appearance, the most by any C-USA program.

EAST CAROLINA (12-16, 4-10 C-USA)
East Carolina fell to No. 5 TCU, 54-44, on Thursday at the C-USA Tournament. JENNIFER JACKSON earned C-USA All-Conference third team honors after leading ECU in points (17.3) and rebounds (7.8) this season. The Pirates finished with a 12-16 overall record under first-year head coach SHARON BALDWIN-TENER, six wins more than last season when East Carolina finished 6-21.

HOUSTON (15-13, 6-8 C-USA)
CHANDI JONES scored 27 points to become Houston's all-time leading scorer as the Cougars dropped a heartbreaker to Southern Miss, 71-69, at the C-USA Tournament. Jones (27.5 ppg), the nation's 2002-03 scoring leader and 2003 C-USA Player of the Year, surpassed Sharion Higgins' 1,957 points to become the school's all-time female scoring leader and fourth on the overall list. SHONDRA BUSH added 15 points and KIKI HARRIS fell just short of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Collectively, the scoring tandem of Jones and Bush accounted for 42 of Houston's 69 points.

LOUISVILLE (15-14, 5-9 C-USA)
Louisville defeated Saint Louis, 86-59, but fell to DePaul, 66-57, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. LORI NERO captured a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds against DePaul. In the first round game versus Saint Louis, Nero also set a Conference USA Tournament record for field goal percentage by hitting all nine shots from the field. STEVE HUBER was named the interim head coach as MARTIN CLAPP, the head women's basketball coach at Louisville for the past six seasons, resigned his position with the Cardinals.

MARQUETTE (15-13, 6-8 C-USA)
Marquette defeated Memphis, 79-64, in the first round, before falling to Charlotte, 67-65, in the quarterfinals at the C-USA Tournament. KELLY SCHWERMAN notched a career high for the second consecutive day with 20 points. Marquette, who are now 15-13, waits a possible postseason bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.


MEMPHIS (13-15, 6-8 C-USA)
The Tigers fell to Marquette, 79-64, in the first round of the C-USA Tournament on Thursday. Senior SHANNON HAMP kept the Tigers close most of the way, leading all scorers with 20. VICTORIA CRAWFORD added 16 for Memphis. Hamp earned third-team All-Conference honors after leading the Tigers in points (16.1 pg) and rebounds (5.6 pg).

SAINT LOUIS (17-13, 8-6 C-USA)
Saint Louis fell to No. 11 seed Louisville 86-59 in the first round of the Conference USA tournament at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn. on Thursday. The Billikens saw their three-game winning streak end and now await a possible postseason tournament bid at 17-13. JANA HAYWOOD led the Billikens with 14 points, while HARMONIE KING added 13. Point guard STAR JACKSON tied a career high with seven rebounds.

SOUTH FLORIDA (7-20, 2-12 C-USA)
South Florida closed out its 2002-03 season with a 74-57 loss to TCU on March 2. Sophomore ALANA TANKSLEY led USF with 14 points, while senior AIYA SHEPARD finished out her career at USF with 12 points for the game. Junior SARAH LOCHMANN also chipped in 10 points for the Bulls to round out the teams' double-digit scoring. Shepard finishes her four-year career, ranked second on C-USA's all-time career theft list with a total of 306.

SOUTHERN MISS (14-15, 6-8 C-USA)
Southern Miss notched a 71-69 win over Houston, before falling to Cincinnati, 61-42, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. DANA JONES scored a career-high 28 points for the Golden Eagles against the Cougars. She followed with a team-high 13 points versus the Bearcats.

TCU (19-13, 8-6 C-USA)
TCU clinched the automatic NCAA bid, after defeating Cincinnati, 85-76, in the C-USA Championship game on Sunday. TCU became the first No. 5 seed team to clinch the tourney title. JEFF MITTIE became the all-time winningest coach in TCU's women's basketball history with his 79th win during the final week of the regular season. He currently has a record of 84-41 at TCU. SANDORA IRVIN earned Tournament MVP honors after leading the Horned Frogs with 26 points in the finals. The Horned Frogs will be making their third consecutive NCAA appearance

TULANE (19-9, 10-4 C-USA)
The Green Wave's streak of four consecutive appearances in the championship game was broken when Tulane fell to No. 5 TCU, 78-65, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. TEANA MCKIVER posted a game-high 21 points, while DELACEY JOSEPH recorded 16 points. McKiver (13.0 pg) and GWEN SLAUGHTER (8.9 pg) both earned C-USA All-Conference accolades, after finishing the conference season, ranked first and third, respectively, in scoring. Tulane will be look to extend its string of consecutive NCAA postseason trips to nine when the bids are announced Sunday afternoon.

UAB (8-19, 4-10 C-USA)
UAB ended the 2002-03 season with a 8-19 overall record and 4-10 conference mark. NATASHA THOMAS earned All-Conference honors after leading the conference with 13 double-double performances this season. MICHELLE SMITH also added 11 double-doubles on the year.


LEADER OF THE PACK
Houston's CHANDI JONES has claimed the conference scoring title for the second year in a row with a current average of 27.5 points per game. It marks only the second time in C-USA history that a player will lead the league in back-to-back seasons. Memphis's TAMIKA WHITMORE (1996-99) ranked first among C-USA scorers during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Jones also leads the nation in scoring and could possibly become the first C-USA player to finish first among the national scoring leaders.

DID YOU KNOW?
Charlotte's KATIE MEIER became the first C-USA head coach to claim a C-USA regular season title in only her second season at the helm. Marquette's TERRI MITCHELL held the record, leading the Golden Eagles to a share of the 1998-99 team title, in her third year at the Marquette helm.

BLOCK PARTY
C-USA has three players ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA's top blockers. TCU's SANDORA IRVIN currently leads the league and ranks second in the nation with 4.11 per game, while Southern Miss' SONJA BROWN (3.3) and Tulane's TEANA MCKIVER (2.9) follows in third and eighth, respectively, on the NCAA's block list. As a team, TCU is ranked third nationally with 6.8 blocks per game.

FROM THE FREE THROW LINE
Cincinnati's VALERIE KING tied the single-game record for free throw percentage. On Jan. 26, King went 11-of-11 from the free throw line against UAB.

1.000 (15-15) Sonja Swick, USF vs. Charlotte 2-1-99
1.000 (13-13) Sonja Swick, USF vs. UAB 1-16-98
1.000 (12-12) Star Jackson, SLU vs. South Florida 2-22-02
1.000 (12-12) Grace Daley, TUL vs. Cincinnati 3-3-00
1.000 (12-12) Jill Morton, LOU vs. Kentucky 2-22-00
1.000 (12-12) Tonja Phifer, CHA vs. Davidson 12-18-00
1.000 (11-11) Valerie King, CIN vs. UAB 1-23-03
1.000 (11-11) Madinah Slaise, CIN vs. Marquette 2-6-99
1.000 (11-11) Jill Morton, LOU vs. South Florida 1-9-98



DID YOU KNOW?
Conference USA is one of six conferences with three or more schools that has 20-plus win seasons this year. Currently, the SEC leads the nation with six teams with 20-plus win records. C-USA is tied with the Big 12, Big East, Big 12 and Pac-10. C-USA is the only league in the nation with 12 teams that have won 10 or more games.

THE CENTURY MARK
This season a total of eight players have reached the 1,000 point plateau this season. Charlotte's ALICIA ABERNATHY, Cincinnati's K.B. SHARP and DEBBIE MERRILL, TCU's TRICIA PAYNE, Tulane's TEANA MCKIVER and GWEN SLAUGHTER, and UAB's NATASHA THOMAS and MICHELLE SMITH have all captured 1,000 points this season.

HOME SWEET HOME
Both DePaul and Charlotte finished the regular season with a perfect home record. The Blue Demons notched a 14-0 record, while the Niners finished the season with a 13-0 mark.

This year, C-USA saw two home win streaks come to a end. Louisville suffered a 73-66 double-overtime loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 16, ending U of L's 19 conference home streak. Louisville's last loss at Freedom Hall had been on March 3, 2000, a 75-62 upset to Charlotte in the C-USA Tournament. Cincinnati notched a C-USA and school record home win streak of 20, before falling to Tulane, 62-53 on Feb. 2. At the time, it ranked as the second longest in the nation.

SINGLE SEASON RECORDS
Cincinnati has already broken the C-USA single season record for free throws with 332 this season. The old mark of 298 was set by Memphis in 1997-98.

In league games, Houston ranks first in steals with 13.57 per game this season. The Cougars are only 10 thefts away from breaking the C-USA regular season record of 200, held by the Memphis Tigers (1999-00).


RECORD ATTENDANCE
This season, four schools have already broken their single-game attendance records. In front of the largest crowd in the history of USF women's basketball, South Florida lost a tough 72-56 decision to the defending National Champions, the University of Connecticut Huskies on Dec. 28. The Bulls shattered the record with a total of 3,072 paid attendance against No. 2 Connecticut. The previous record stood at 837 on Jan. 14, 1992. On Dec. 31, Marquette fell to No. 12 Notre Dame, 75-68. The attendance was 3,686, the largest home crowd for a regular-season game in Marquette history. Saint Louis defeated DePaul on Jan. 24 in front of the largest crowd of 1,796. Most recently, Charlotte defeated Saint Louis, 70-58, in front of a crowd of 2,786, which was the largest ever for a women's game at Halton Arena (Feb. 2).

TCU'S RECORD-SETTING WIN
With a 76-16 win over Texas Southern on Dec. 28, TCU shattered the NCAA mark for fewest points allowed in a game. The previous record was 19 allowed by Jackson State against Prairie View A&M on March 3, 1983. The victory also established a new C-USA record for fewest points in a half, as the Frogs held Texas Southern to five points at halftime. The former record was 11 by Charlotte against Memphis (29) on Feb. 23, 1997.

COACHING MILESTONES
- DePaul's head coach DOUG BRUNO could become the first C-USA coach to reach the 300-victory plateau at one school. Bruno currently has a 299-197 record in 17 seasons at DePaul.

- Saint Louis head coach JILL PIZZOTTI captured her 100th win on Feb. 28. She currently has a record of 101-123 at the Billiken helm.

- Head coach JEFF MITTIE became the winningest coach in TCU's women's basketball history with his 79th win last weekend. He currently has a record of 84-41 in four seasons at the Horned Frog helm.