Nov. 26, 2005
MORAGA, Calif. - Sophomore forward Meagan Cowher sank 25 points, including 9-of-12 from the foul line, as the Princeton women's basketball team bested UCF, 91-87, in the consolation game of the Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday evening.
Down 45-32 after the first 20 minutes, the Golden Knights (1-3) opened the second half strongly with a quick three-pointer by junior guard Francine Houston. Their momentum was halted when the Tigers (2-2) hit their own trey only 20 seconds later. Princeton would continue to pull away and went up by as much as 19 points (69-50) on long baseline jumper by senior forward Lauren Nestor with under eight minutes left in the contest.
The Golden Knights then began to rally and closed the gap to 10 points (74-64) on senior guard Shayla Smith's lay-up at the 4:28 mark. With 36 seconds remaining, a three-pointer by Smith slashed Princeton's advantage to three (88-85) before sophomore guard Amber Long went one better and brought UCF within two at 87-89 with 20 seconds left.
The Tigers hit two more foul shots down the stretch and a last second three-point attempt by Long fell short.
Princeton started the evening with four quick points and built its lead to 11-4 just four minutes into the game. UCF bounced back and was able to tie on a shot by Long at 7:43. Twelve seconds later, junior forward Casey Lockwood (17 points) hit a three-pointer but the Golden Knights earned their first advantage (29-28) on a lay-up by senior forward Shelby Weber with 6:51 remaining on the clock.
The two teams continued to play tight until Princeton went on an 13-2 run in the waning four minutes and took 45-34 advantage into intermission. The Tigers were a perfect 8-for-8 from the line during that time.
Princeton capitalized on its opportunities at the foul line throughout the game as it sank 33 of 44 (75%) free throws. The Golden Knights went 9-for-17 (52.7%).
UCF hit 34 of 55 (61.8%) from the field, while Princeton was 27-for-56 (48.2%). The Tigers outrebounded the Golden Knights by a 39-26 margin.
Houston, who earned all-tournament team honors, led all players with a season-high 27 points. She shot 10-for-14 from the field and went 7-for-10 from behind the arc to tie the school record for most three-pointers made in a game.
Houston was one of five Golden Knights in double figures as Smith added 17 and Weber had 14. Senior LaShay King and junior Juliana Gomes contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Weber and Long each posted a game-high six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Princeton's Casey Lockwood also recorded six rebounds and freshman guard Jessica Berry added 11 points.
The Golden Knights cap off their trip to the Golden State with a visit to Santa Clara for a 10 p.m. tip-off on Tuesday.