Dec. 19, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior guard Francine Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) scored a game-high 16 points as the UCF women's basketball team defeated Florida A&M, 68-54, in the final game of the 2006 UCF Holiday Classic on Tuesday. It was the third straight victory for the Golden Knights, who improved to 4-8.
UCF opened the night on a 13-2 run then allowed FAMU (5-6) to tie the game at 20 with 6:49 remaining to play in the half. The visitors took their first lead, 25-24, on a foul shot by senior center Ifeoma Onuaku, before UCF freshman guard Shante Cummings hit a jumper to reclaim the lead. The Golden Knights remained on top 26-25 at the intermission.
After exploding for nine unanswered points to start the second period, UCF continued to extend its advantage. The Rattlerettes sliced the lead to six on a jumper by sophomore guard Deidre Jones at the 15:00 mark, but a senior guard Celeste Hudson's (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) hit a basket 15 seconds later that sparked the Golden Knight offense once again.
The UCF defense was solid in the final five minutes, only allowing FAMU two field goals, and the Golden Knights went up by a game-high 17 on a jumper by senior center Elizabeth Fieser (Norwich, Kan./Norwich HS) at 2:38.
On the night, UCF shot 25-for-59 (42.4%) from the floor, while limiting the visitors to 16-for-53 (30.2%). The Golden Knights also capitalized on their three-point shooting, going 5-for-11 (45.5%) behind the arc, and held a 45-35 advantage on the boards. UCF senior forward Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./South Broward HS) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and was two points away from her second consecutive double-double.
Sophomore guard Taniyah Dawson led the Rattlerettes with 14 points.
In the first contest of the day, freshman forward Danyiell McKeller posted 14 points and 10 rebounds as Georgia State (6-4) overpowered North Florida, 76-41. GSU sophomore guard Brittany Hollins also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, while sophomore guard Jennifer Bowen put up a team-high 11 points for the Ospreys (2-8).
Determined by a vote from the coaching staff of the participating teams, Georgia State sophomore center Marcquitta Head, who averaged 12.5 points and 10 rebounds over the two days, was chosen the Classic's most valuable player. Hudson and Miles joined Georgia State senior guard Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen, FAMU freshman guard Marke Freeman and UNF sophomore guard Jennifer Bowen on the all-tournament team.
UCF returns to action on Dec. 28 when the Golden Knights play host to Iona for a 7 p.m. tipoff at UCF Arena. They close out the month by opening their Conference USA schedule at Southern Miss on Dec. 31 at 3 p.m.
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.