Dec. 9, 2007
Orlando, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Freshman Tia Lewis (Poulan, Ga.) recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, despite the UCF women's basketball team falling to in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast, 81-75, at the new UCF Arena Sunday afternoon. D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) added 13 points in the game, posting double-digits in points for the fourth-straight contest.
With the loss, the Knights fall to 4-5 on the season, while the Eagles improve their record to 3-4.
UCF shot .438 from the floor and .375 from the three-point line in the game, but Florida Gulf Coast edged the Knights, shooting .520 from the field and .400 from behind the arch.
The Black and Gold's bench contributed 24 points against Florida Gulf Coast, with Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) registering nine points and Jasmine Stovall (Lawrenceville, Ga.) recording a career-high seven points. Also adding to UCF's bench-scoring was Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) who had six points and also recorded seven rebounds and two assists.
"Our bench entered the game today with a lot of energy," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "I was really proud of how they came in and gave us an energy boost at the end of the first half to close the gap."
With 2:35 to play in the opening period, the Knights trailed the Eagles 41-29, but went on a 7-0 run to close out the half down by only four points, 41-37. Wiley and Stovall together scored five points during the stretch, with senior Amber Long (Irmo, S.C.) adding an assist and a rebound.
The Knights out-rebounded Florida Gulf Coast 40-21 in the contest and grabbed a season-high 17 offensive boards, contributing to 18 second-chance points for the Black and Gold. Both Lewis and Mealing had four offensive rebounds for UCF, while Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jelisa Caldwell (Macon, Ga.) had two apiece.
"Our main focus for the game was rebounding," Williams said. "We did a really good job of pulling down offensive rebounds today, and I think the bright spot of the game was Tia Lewis on the boards."
UCF opened the second half on a 12-2 run, getting four points from Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) and three from both Daniels and Lewis, to take a six-point lead with just over 14 minutes to play. But, a 13-2 run from the Eagles at 5:36 was too much for the Knights to overcome.
Florida Gulf Coast had five players register double-digits in points, led by Shannon Murphy and Chelsea Dermyer who had 21 and 20 points, respectively.
The Knights are back in action Saturday, Dec. 15, when they take on Southeastern Louisiana at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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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