Feb. 4, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior guard Francine Houston (Bradenton, Fla./Southeast HS) scored a game-high 34 points and made a school record eight three-pointers as the UCF women's basketball dropped Conference USA rival Tulsa, 75-69, on Sunday afternoon.
After going 5-for-7 from the field in the first 20 minutes, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc, Houston hit her fourth trey of the afternoon to help UCF (7-16, 2-8 C-USA) regain the lead early in the second half.
Tulsa (8-14, 3-7 C-USA) took a one-point advantage at 14:34 and the score was tied twice before another three by Houston at 12:57 gave UCF the lead for good. The visitors closed the margin to 69-68 on a three by senior forward Jillian Robbins that was nullified by Houston's record-breaking eighth three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining to play. The Golden Knights went 2-for-3 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
Houston was one of five UCF players, including classmate Celeste Hudson (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) to own the previous school record of seven threes made in a game. She also owns the UCF records for most three-pointers made in a season (78) and in a career (186).
The Golden Knights were down 17-15 at 12:56 of the first half before they took control on a 12-3 run, but allowed TU retake the lead with 5:29 remaining. The two teams continued to battle for possession until Tulsa scored seven unanswered points. As a result, the Golden Hurricane owned a 39-35 lead going into the intermission.
During the game, the two squads were nine times, while the lead changed hands 12 times.
On the afternoon, UCF shot 46.3% from the field and 70.8% from the charity stripe. In addition to Houston's career-high 34 points, senior forward Keunta Miles (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./South Broward HS) finished with 12, while junior Amber Long (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork HS) had a team-high nine rebounds.
Tulsa, meanwhile, shot 38.8% from the field and 81.3% from the foul line. The Golden Hurricane held a 44-31 advantage on the glass as Robbins recorded a double-double with 32 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jamie Drieiling had 10 points and senior guard Tandem May added nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Golden Knights' homestand continues on Friday, Feb. 9 against Houston at 7 p.m. 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.