Nov. 16, 2008
BOULDER, Colo. (UCFAthletics.com) - In its season opener, UCF (0-1) got a double-double from sophomore Emma Cannon but fell 86-59 at Colorado (1-0) Sunday afternoon in non-conference women's basketball action at the Coors Events and Conference Center. CU sophomore Brittany Spears scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the first half to lead three players in double figures for the host Buffaloes.
"Colorado did a good job, give them a lot of credit for hitting open shots," said head coach Joi Williams. "We had a lot of unforced turnovers. We knew coming in we had to defend in transition and defend the three-point line and we did not do a good job of that. We did not take care of the things that were a big part of our game plan, and they took advantage of that."
Trailing 41-28 at the break, UCF got back-to-back buckets from Cannon to close the gap to nine points. Spears answered with four-straight points of her own to push the lead back to double figures. CU led by at least 10 the rest of the contest.
Cannon scored the first nine points of the half for the Knights. Cannon tallied 15 of her team-high 19 points in the second half and added a career-high 17 rebounds.
Foul shooting disrupted the Knights' comeback attempt as UCF misfired on six of their first eight second-half tries from the stripe and 5-of-12 overall in the period.
Colorado guard Bianca Smith connected on three from beyond the arc in the second half, and scored five straight to push the lead to 21 points with just over nine minutes remaining. Smith scored 14 points in the period and finished the game with 16. Senior Kara Richards also found her way into double figures with 13 points.
The Buffs took their halftime edge, their biggest of the first half, on a Courtney Dunn three with five seconds remaining. Spears went 7-for-12 from the field, including 3-of-4 from long range to finish the half with 18 points to lead all scorers.
For the game, UCF went 23-for-67 from the field, shooting 34.3 percent. The Knights struggled from the line, knocking down just 13-for-27 from the stripe.
Patrick got the start at point guard and had 12 points and 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut. The Knights had a significant edge on the glass, outrebounding Colorado 51-35. Of their total, 23 of the team's boards were on the offensive end.
UCF will now return home for a pair of games next weekend. The Knights host Florida A&M in the opener at UCF Arena on Friday at 7 p.m., before welcoming Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Season tickets for the UCF women's basketball program are currently on sale through the UCF ticket sales office. For more information about the arena's premium seating options, including club seats, group discounts, courtside tables and suites, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000 or visit the women's basketball ticket page at UCFAthletics.cstv.com/tickets/w-baskbl-tickets.html.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Notes
- Cannon registered a double-double in her first game with 2008-09. The sophomore was fourth in Conference USA with 12 double-doubles last season.
- Patrick's double-double continued a trend for the Knights. UCF got 26 double-doubles from freshmen a season ago.
- UCF went 0-for-7 in the game from long range. The Knights entered having downed a triple in 26-straight contests.
- The Knights are now 15-17 all-time in season openers and 7-25 in road openers.
- UCF is now 1-9 in its history against schools from the Big 12. The program's lone win came on Nov. 25, 2001 when the Knights defeated Kansas 71-59.
- UCF moves to 1-2 all-time against teams from the state of Colorado. The Knights previous two contests came against the University of Denver.
- Colorado improves to 28-2 in home season openers.