Dec. 19, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF freshman guard Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) scored a career-high 23 points, but it was not enough as the Knights' women's basketball squad came up just short against Appalachian State on Wednesday evening, falling 87-81 at the new UCF Arena. Four Knights (5-6) finished the game with double-figures in scoring.
"Marshay had a good game," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "She came in and hit some huge shots for us and really did a good job defensively. Overall, I am proud of the minutes that she played."
The Mountaineers (2-7) shot 50 percent from the field for the game. Appalachian State led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but UCF put together a late rally.
The Knights had the ball trailing by four points with 25 seconds to play, but two missed shots by the UCF offense put the game out of reach. The Mountaineers' Whitney Tossie made a pair of free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
"The mistakes that were made at the end of the game were our mistakes," Williams stated. "Little things are within our control, so we can learn from that."
The contest was part of the UCF Holiday Classic.
Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) recorded her seventh double-double of the season, totaling 15 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow freshman forward Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) also had a double-double with 13 points and 15 boards.
In 27 minutes off of the bench, White hit three 3-pointers.
The Mountaineers led 42-35 at halftime after shooting 52.1 percent overall before the break.
The Knights shot 43.3 percent overall for the game, but just 56.4 percent from the free-throw line.
UCF totaled 16 steals in the contest as Cannon recorded five swipes. Tossie paced the Mountaineers with 23 points. Whitney Randolph added 16 points and nine rebounds in the winning effort.
In the opening contest of the invitational, La Salle posted a 63-47 win over UNC-Greensboro. Jamie Walsh paced the Exlplorers with 20 points.
UCF will return to the hardwood on Thursday, facing UNC Greensboro at 7:30 p.m. at the new UCF Arena.
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