Hello Everyone,

Below is the latest women's basketball notebook released by the conference
office.

SUMMARY
Louisville's Sara Nord earns C-USA Player of the Week honors for the period
ending Dec. 28. Nord guided the Cardinals to a 93-67 win over Florida Atlantic
on Sunday. Several C-USA schools will be taking on tough competition in the
final two weeks of non-conference action. No. 19 TCU battles No. 5 Tennessee on
Friday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, while USF takes on No. 11 Georgia on Sunday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SARA NORD. Louisville
Sr., G, Jeffersonvile, Ind. (Jeffersonville)
Louisville's SARA NORD earns C-USA Player of the Week honors for the period
ending Dec. 28. Nord guided the Cardinals to a 93-67 win over Florida Atlantic
on Sunday. She led all scorers with 23 points and dished out 10 assists for her
second double-double of the season. Nord hit 7-of-13 from the field, including a
5-of-9 effort from the three-point arc. With her 10 assists, she also had only
two turnovers for a 5-to-1 ratio, while adding four steals and three rebounds.
Currently, Nord leads the league in assists (7.08) and ranks third in scoring
with an average of 19.0 points per game.

HOME SWEET HOME
This season, C-USA teams are 68-18 on their home courts, nearly winning 80
percent of their games. Southern Miss leads the league with a perfect 8-0
record, while TCU follows with a 5-0 mark. Dating back to last season, the
Horned Frogs have won a school record 10 in a row at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

MARQUETTE'S NEW HOME
On Monday, Marquette was victorious in its final game at the U.S. Cellular
Arena, defeating Dayton, 73-61. The Golden Eagles will open the 2004 season with
a new home - the Al McGuire Center - on Sunday against Columbia. Marquette has
played 26 seasons in the Wisconsin Center District (U.S. Cellular Arena and
Milwaukee Auditorium), owning a 110-56 all-time record in the building.

THE LEAGUE'S BEST STARTS
Southern Miss suffered its first loss of the season against Arkansas-Little
Rock, 56-51, on Monday. The Golden Eagles' 10-0 start ranks third on C-USA's
best starts in league history. Tulane holds the record with a perfect 14-0 start
during the beginning of the 1999-00 season.

CHARLOTTE (7-5, 0-0 C-USA)
The 49ers hit a school record 13 three-pointers to beat Stony Brook, 88-77, on
Monday at Saint Joseph's Hawk Classic. ANDREA DAVIDSON, who led the Niners with
a 10.5 scoring average in the two games, was named all-tournament. Five players
scored in double figures for Charlotte for the second time this season. LESLIE
COOK led the way with 19 points, knocking down five of her seven three-point
attempts. LASHANTA JOHNSON also had a big day behind the arc, contributing four
treys on the way to a career-best 14 points. The Niners' 13 threes broke the
previous school record of 11, which was reached three times. It is the first
time Charlotte has hit 10 threes in a game this season. The team's total of 88
points is their second-highest this season. The Niners have the next week off
before returning to action, Jan. 6 at James Madison.

CINCINNATI (7-5, 0-0 C-USA)
The Bearcats suffered a 55-43 loss to No. 23 Michigan State on Monday. UC had
not scored less than 43 since a 47-32 loss to UAB on March 9, 1995 in the Great
Midwest Tournament. VALERIE KING was the lone Bearcat in double-figures with 14
points on 5-of-9 shooting, while DEBBIE MERRILL grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
UC returns home to host Kentucky on Friday. One of UC's most anticipated
newcomers will soon be hitting the court for the first time. Freshman KAREN
TWEHUES has been ruled eligible to play on Friday. The NCAA mandated that she
sit out the first 12 games of her career due to the club team she played for in
her native Switzerland. The 6-0 freshman guard was the youngest member of the
Swiss national team last year and averaged 18.7 points and 4.8 rebound for her
club team.

DE PAUL (11-1, 0-0 C-USA)
DePaul posted its fourth 100-plus point performance of the season with a 101-63
victory over Loyola-Chicago on Dec. 23. The Blue Demons are the only C-USA
school to post 100 points or more in a game this year. KHARA SMITH was one of
four players to reach double-figures for DePaul. Smith notched her 18th
double-double of the year with 24 points and 10 rebounds. CHARLENE SMITH
followed with 20 points, while ASHLEY LUKE added 13. During the 2003-04 season,
DePaul has had at least four players score in double figures in 10 of 12 games.
The Blue Demons are ranked No. 20 in the latest Associated Press poll, marking
the program's highest ranking since being at No. 18 during the 1995-96 season.
DePaul takes on Northern Illinois on Saturday.

EAST CAROLINA (7-4, 0-0 C-USA)
East Carolina captured its seventh win of the season as the Pirates beat
Savannah State, 73-52, on Thursday. COURTNEY WILLIS led ECU in double figures,
as she knocked down 16 points, hitting 6-of-9 from the field and going a perfect
4-for-4 from the free throw line. Willis grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds,
recording her sixth double-double of the season. KEISHA ANTHONY poured in a
career-high 16 points and hit 67 percent from the floor (6-of-9), while LATOYA
HORTON recorded one blocked shot on the day, making it seven straight games with
at least one blocked shot. ECU will be back in action on Saturday as it travels
to Arkansas State

HOUSTON (7-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Despite scoring just 17 points in the second half, Houston slipped past the
Texas A&M, 46-40, on Tuesday. SANCHO LYTTLE posted her fourth double-double of
the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds. With 15 points, Jones moved into
third place on the Conference USA all-time scoring list with 2,151 points. The
Cougars will be in action again Saturday when they take on Alabama.

LOUISVILLE (7-5, 0-0 C-USA)
Louisville captured a 93-67 victory over Florida Atlantic on Sunday. The
Cardinals have now won four in a row at home. SARA NORD led all scorers with 23
points and dished out 10 assists. Nord hit 5-of-9 from the arc for a 56 percent
shooting percentage. She also finished with four steals and three rebounds. JAZZ
COVINGTON added 22 points and 12 rebounds while ANGEL BRADLEY finished with 16
points and three steals. The Cardinals will be back in action on Saturday, when
they host Morehead State.

MARQUETTE (8-3, 0-0 C-USA)
Despite double figure outings from CAROLYN KIEGER, KATIE O'GRADY and SARAH
SHOUSE, Marquette lost at Notre Dame, 72-64, on Thursday. The 10 points for
Shouse was a career best. O'Grady led the way off the bench with 11 and Kieger
scored 12. Notre Dame grabbed 16 more rebounds than Marquette and shot 30 free
throws compared to MU's 17, both factors which contributed to the Irish victory.
The Golden Eagles were also hit with 27 foul calls. Marquette will open the Al
McGuire Center on Sunday against Columbia.

MEMPHIS (9-2, 0-0 C-USA)
Montana handed Memphis its second loss of the season, 74-56, in the championship
game of the University of Montana Holiday Classic on Monday. VICTORIA CRAWFORD
led the Tigers with 13 points, with 11 of those coming in the second half after
she was held without a converted bucket from the field in the opening 20
minutes. DEVIN NECAISE added 13 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from beyond
the arc, adding three rebounds and one steal. RAVEN ROGERS and MEGAN GOOCH led
Tiger rebounders with nine misfires apiece, while Crawford had eight. Memphis
will continue its road swing at Arkansas on Friday. The Tigers own an 8-5 series
advantage over Arkansas, dating back to the 1978-79 season. The Razorbacks have
won the last two meetings, including a 78-64 victory over Memphis last season at
the Fieldhouse.

SAINT LOUIS (6-6, 0-0 C-USA)
Saint Louis dropped a 72-33 decision at Southwest Missouri State on Thursday.
With two rebounds in the game, ANGIE LEWIS moved into SLU's top 10 for career
rebounding surpassing Constance Lockett, who posted the 556. The Billikens did
not have a scorer reach double-figures and were led by KIRSTI HOLLOWAY's nine
points. The senior guard also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to pace SLU.
Lewis was held under double figures in scoring for the first time this season
and finished with eight points. The Billikens are next in action on Sunday, when
they host Missouri.

USF (5-5, 0-0 C-USA)
USF received 18 points and 10 rebounds from both NALINI MILLER and JESSICA
DICKSON as the Bulls cruised to an 82-56 win over Florida Atlantic on Tuesday.
On the day, USF shot 45.8 percent from the floor and dominated the glass
outrebounding the Owls, 42-29. In addition to Miller and Dickson, ALANA TANKSLEY
had another big outing netting 10 points in 13 minutes of action. It was the
10th straight game that three (or more) USF players tallied double figure
points. The Bulls are back into action when the travel to Athens, GA to face No.
11 ranked Georgia on Sunday

SOUTHERN MISS (10-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Southern Miss had its 10-game winning streak snapped after falling to
Arkansas-Little Rock, 56-51, on Tuesday. LOTTE HULSHOF led the Eagles with 14
points and MICHELLE POINDEXTER added 12. The Golden Eagles' 10-0 start ranked
the third longest in C-USA history. DEONDRA CARTER continues to lead Southern
Miss in scoring at 13.1 points per game, while Poindexter leads the team in
rebounding at 8.5 rebounds. As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 61.9 points
and 41.8 rebounds per game, while holding its opponents 48.6 points and 33.1
rebounds per game. Southern Miss continues its road swing, playing at Samford on
Saturday.

TCU (10-1, 0-0 C-USA)
The Horned Frogs rolled to a 91-53 victory over North Texas on Wednesday. With
the victory, TCU moved to 10-1 on the year and picked up its 10th consecutive
victory at home dating back to last season. The 10 wins in a row at DMC is a
school record. SANDORA IRVIN paced TCU's offense with 21 points and also grabbed
11 rebounds for her fifth double-double on the year and the 27th of her career.
She also added six blocks and four steals. TRACY WYNN established a new
career-high with 13 points and TIFFANY EVANS, who returned to the lineup for the
first time since undergoing knee surgery Dec. 8, tossed in a baker's dozen as
well. By scoring 95 points against Lamar and 91 versus North Texas Dec. 29 and
31, TCU was able to reach the 90-point plateau in consecutive games for the
first time since the 1999-2000 season when the Lady Frogs downed Columbia,
101-51, and South Alabama, 95-55. Strangely enough, both of those contests were
played on Dec. 29 and 31 as well. TCU hosts No. 5 Tennessee on Friday.

TULANE (5-6, 0-0 C-USA)
LSU used a 17-5 run midway through the second half to ease open a close game en
route to a 65-42 win over the Tulane on Tuesday. TYMEKA MOORE led Tulane with 10
points, while LAKETHIA HAMPTON added a game-high 12 rebounds for the Green Wave.
Tulane held LSU to just 40.9 percent shooting (27-of-66), almost ten percentage
points below their season average, but could only manage 32.7 percent shooting
themselves (16-of-49). Tulane travels to Texas-Corpus Christi on Jan. 5.

UAB (6-6, 0-0 C-USA)
UAB outscored Tennessee-Martin, 53-24, in the final 20 minutes, to run away with
a 78-58 victory on Tuesday. The win was the Blazers' fourth consecutive as the
UAB won the championship game of the 2003 Lady Blazer Invitational held at
Bartow Arena. UAB was led by Tournament MVP NATASHA THOMAS' 18 points. It was
the seventh consecutive double-digit performance by Thomas, who now has 1,444
points in her Blazer career. In addition, GENNIFER BRIDGES and CARMEN GUZMAN
each had 15 points in the contest. Guzman, a freshman guard, was named to the
all-tournament team, the second such honor of her short UAB career, after
tallying 21 points, five assists and three steals in two games. The Blazers
extend their win steak to four games. UAB has not had a four-game win steak
since the 2001-02 season, when the Blazers won four-consecutive contests from
Dec. 8-Dec. 22, 2001. UAB next faces Austin Peay on Saturday.

Hope your new year is off to a great start,
Marc



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