Dec. 1, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF senior guard Francine Houston's game-high 23 points couldn't stop a late rally by Georgia Southern as the Eagles upended the host Golden Knights, 75-71, at UCF Arena on Friday night.
Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) sank the first basket of the night to give UCF's offense the spark it needed and the Golden Knights (1-7) went up 14-6 by the 14:35 mark. In order to stay in the game, the Eagles (4-5) capitalized on their opportunities at the foul line as they went 7-for-8, and cut the advantage to 16-14 at 11:58.
The Golden Knights scored seven unanswered points to leap ahead by a game-high 10 (30-20) on a layup by senior forward Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./S. Broward HS) with 5:18 remaining in the half. GSU had once again pulled within two on a trey by junior guard Tiffany Brown before Houston finished on a personal 4-2 run to give UCF a 36-32 advantage at intermission.
The home team finished the first half shooting 14-for-32 from the floor (43.8%), while limiting the visitors to 9-for-35 (25.7%). Georgia Southern sank 11-of-13 chances from the charity stripe.
UCF opened the second half on an 8-3 run and continued to hold onto possession of the scoreboard until 9:53 when a three-pointer by Brown tied the score at 50. GSU then took its first lead of the game, 56-55, just under two minutes later on a layup by junior guard Shawnda Atwood.
Despite UCF's attempts to regain the lead, the Eagles held on for the victory. Brown and Atwood finished the night with a team-high 14 points, while three other GSU players also scored in double figures. Miles contributed 17 points for the Golden Knights.
Overall, UCF shot 28-for-67 (41.8%) from the floor and GSU went 24-for-63 (38.1%). The visitors owned a 49-32 advantage on the glass and also hit 21-of-28 free throw chances.
Next up, the Golden Knights face in-state rival Florida State on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in a doubleheader with the men's team.
Tickets for home contests are available by calling (407) UCF-1000. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.