Jan. 13, 2006
ORLANDO - Sophomore guard Amber Long scored a career-high 18 points and senior forward Shelby Weber grabbed her 500th career rebound as UCF earned a 60-52 victory over Tulane in Conference USA women's basketball action at UCF Arena on Friday night.
It was the Golden Knights first win in their inaugural season in C-USA as they improved to 3-12 overall and 1-3 in conference play. The Green Wave fell to 6-6, 1-3.
Long, who recorded 12 of her 18 points in the first half, opened the game with two quick buckets to give the home team an early lead. With the Golden Knights down by two with 13:49 remaining in the half, she came up big once again as she hit a jumper that knotted the score at 10 all and sparked an 8-0 run.
At 9:28, Tulane tied the game at 14 before UCF regained the advantage on a three-pointer by senior guard LaShay King. With just over six minutes remaining, the Golden Knights owned a 23-16 lead, but the Green Wave finished the half on an 11-4 run. The two teams went into intermission deadlocked at 27 all.
Tulane's freshman guard Ashley Langford knocked down a jumper for a quick advantage in the second period, but the two squads continued to play a tight game. A three-pointer by junior guard Francine Houston at 13:10 gave the Knights final possession of the scoreboard. Despite the Green Wave's attempts to shut down its offense, UCF stayed on top thanks in part to their success from beyond the arc, where UCF hit five of nine chances in the second half.
With 41 seconds left to play, Long sank two free throws as the Golden Knights boasted their largest lead of the game, 60-49. A trey by Wave sophomore guard Nikki Luckhurst capped off the evening.
UCF finished the contest shooting 24-for-57 (42.1%) from the field compared to Tulane's 18-for-46 (39.1%). The Green Wave held a slight 34-32 advantage on the boards, but Weber, who started the night with 495 career boards, grabbed six for the Golden Knights to become the 15th player in program history to surpass the mark.
UCF junior forward Keunta Miles had a team-high seven rebounds and contributed 10 points to the effort. King added 13.
Tulane was led by junior guard Jami Montagnino with 12 points, while sophomore forward had 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
"It was an historical moment for us to get the first C-USA win," said seventh-year head coach Gail Striegler. "I think this is going to be a real turning point for the team because it gives them confidence and we will be able to build upon that."
The Golden Knights return to action when they face UTEP on Sunday at 5 p.m. The contest is set to be broadcast live nationally on CSTV.