Jan. 6, 2006
HOUSTON, Texas - Freshman guard Sha'ratta Hawkins scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as host Houston defeated UCF, 64-50, in Conference USA women's basketball action at Hoffheinz Pavilion on Friday night.
The Golden Knights (2-11, 0-2 C-USA) jumped out to an early 10-7 advantage on a three-pointer by junior guard Francine Houston at 14:18 before three consecutive treys by Hawkins allowed the Cougars (4-8, 1-0 C-USA) to pull away, 16-10.
UCF regained a one-point advantage after scoring five unanswered points with just over nine minutes remaining on the clock. The lead changed hands until the 7:37 mark as UH finished on a 20-9 run took a 38-28 advantage into the intermission.
The Cougars continued to dominate in the opening minutes of the second half, going up by 47-35 at 13:51. UCF held Houston without a field goal for over four minutes and cut the deficit to 47-40 on two successful foul shots by senior forward Shelby Weber with 11:44 left to play. UH closed the game on a 17-10 run to secure the victory.
UCF finished the night shooting 38% (10 of 21) from the field, while Houston hit 36.9% (14 of 34). The Golden Knights also held a slight advantage on the boards at 39-38. The difference in the contest came at the foul line, where the Cougars sank 12 of 17 attempts (70.6%). UCF was 7-for-12 (58.3%), and in turnovers as the Golden Knights had 22 to UH's eight.
Despite the loss, senior LaShay King also earned her first career double-double with a career-high 15 points and 12 rebounds for UCF.
The Golden Knights continue their road trip in Houston as visit Rice on Sunday for a 2 p.m. ET tip-off before returning home to face Tulane at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13.