Feb. 24, 2006
Final Stats
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Junior guard Francine Houston sank a team-high 19 points, including a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining, as UCF held on for a 66-63 win over host Marshall in Conference USA women's basketball action at the Cam Henderson Center Friday night.
The Golden Knights improved to 7-19 overall and 5-10 in C-USA, while the Thundering Herd dropped to 13-13 and 8-7.
After the Thundering Herd sank the first basket of the game, the Golden Knights went on the attack and took an early 9-2 lead. Marshall battled back to within two at 11:09 and the game stayed close as the two teams traded baskets.
UCF was able to pull away again, going up 27-22 on a shot by senior forward Shelby Weber at 5:19, before Marshall tied it on senior guard Sikeetha Shepard-Hall's three-pointer just a minute later. The Thundering Herd regained the lead with under two minutes remaining and held a 34-33 advantage at the intermission.
In the first period, the Golden Knights shot 13-for-29 (44.8%), while Marshall was 13-for-31 (41.9%) and also owned a 24-15 margin on the boards.
The two squads continued to swap baskets and remained tied early in the second half until 16:01 when senior guard Reshundra Smiley put the home team up 42-39 and the Thundering Herd gradually extended their lead to game-high seven on foul shots made by Shepard-Hall at 8:06.
The Golden Knights weren't ready to quit, though, retaking possession of the scoreboard, 62-61, on a three-pointer by Houston with 2:39 left to play. A basket by Weber and two foul shots by Houston with 2.6 seconds remaining insured the victory.
UCF finished the night shooting 26-for-57 (45.6%) from the field, while Marshall went 25-for-67 (37.3%). The Thundering Herd outrebounded the visitors by a 47-35 margin.
Shepard-Hall sank a game-high 23 points and junior forward Crystal Champion grabbed a game-high 12 boards. Junior Keunta Miles added 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds and Weber contributed 16 for UCF.
The Golden Knights conclude their regular season at East Carolina on Sunday for a 1 p.m. tip-off. The 2006 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship begins on March 2 in Dallas, Texas.