Dec. 20, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Freshman forward Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead the UCF women's basketball team to a 76-73 victory over UNC Greensboro (1-10) Thursday night at the new UCF Arena as part of the UCF Holiday Classic. The Knights (6-6) had four players score at least 15 points in the game, with two players recording double-doubles.
"I was pleased with the overall effort tonight," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We had great energy and it was an overall good team win."
Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) had a career-high 16 points, including matching her previous career-high in points with 10 in the first half. The freshman guard was a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor in the opening period and scored six points in the second half at the free-throw line.
Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) and Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) both posted 15 points against the Spartans, with Cannon adding 10 boards for her seventh double-double of the season.
The Knights shot .411 from the field in the contest and held UNC Greensboro to .369 from the floor.
The Black and Gold capitalized on the Spartans' 17 miscues, scoring 28 points off of turnovers.
With just over 15 minutes to play in the first half the Knights trailed the Spartans 9-7, but Wiley led the Knights on a 14-4 run with eight points and two steals during the stretch to put the Black and Gold on top, 21-13.
UNC Greensboro answered back with a 13-4 run of its own to go back on top, 26-25 with under three minutes to play in the opening period.
Two-straight three-pointers from the Spartans' Kemena Brooks gave the visiting team a 37-32 advantage at the conclusion of the first half.
The Knights opened the second half with a 14-7 run to take a 46-45 lead, their first since the 2:05 mark of the first period.
After falling down by eight points, UCF regained its lead at the 3:39 mark with a pair of free-throws by White, which capped off a 19-10 run for the home team and put the Knights ahead for the duration of the contest.
The Spartans made it interesting, making a three-pointer and a layup in the last 10 seconds of the game, but clutch free throw shooting down the stretch gave UCF the edge.
UNC Greensboro's Brooks led all scorers with 21 points, while teammate Brittany Frazier added a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards.
The Knights return to action Dec. 31 when they travel to DeLand, Fla., for an in-state match-up with Stetson. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for Noon.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pics.
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