Nov. 28, 2008
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF (1-4) led by as many as seven points in the first half Friday afternoon in its second game of the Paradise Jam, but Wisconsin (4-1) used a decisive 10-0 run in the second half to jump ahead and hung on for a 65-61 victory in women's non-conference basketball action at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
"I am disappointed in our defensive effort today," said head coach Joi Williams. "We just did not have the fire we had last night. We started off with it, but they made a run as good teams do and we just did not answer it. We felt we had an opportunity to win this game today, but we let it slip through our fingers. We have some lessons we have to learn."
Led by 14 points from freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.), the Knights placed four players in double figures for the second-straight day.
Wisconsin ended the first half on a 13-4 run to take a 29-27 lead into the break, but the Knights got putbacks from Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) early in the second to lead 33-32.
Trailing 35-34, the Badgers got three-pointers from Jade Davis and Rae Lin D'Alie as part of a 10-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way.
The lead ballooned to as many as 12 for Wisconsin, and the Badgers still led by nine (62-53) with under two minutes to play. Getting six points from sophomore Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.), the Knights closed to three with an 8-2 run, but a D'Alie free throw with 1.5 seconds on the clock left the final margin.
D'Alie had 14 points and four assists for UW, who was led by Alyssa Karel with 17. Anya Covington came off the bench to score nine points and get a game-high 11 rebounds.
Trailing 6-3 in the early moments, UCF pushed the tempo and rattled off a 10-2 spurt to lead 13-8 on a D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) bucket with 13:27 left in the first half. A White layup gave UCF its biggest lead (23-16) with 7:02 on the clock before the Badgers claimed the lead before the buzzer.
Patrick, who scored 10 of her 14 points in the first half, paced the Knights and added eight rebounds. Cannon scored 10 points in the second half and added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Wiley and Daniels chipped in 10 apiece. "Aisha did a good job today of attacking the rim, we put her on the wing to play to her strengths," said Williams. "She was 100 percent from the free throw line, and to have eight rebounds, 14 points and no turnovers in 38 minutes is outstanding."
UCF outrebounded Wisconsin 38-32 in the game, the fourth time in five outings the Knights have held an advantage on the glass.
UCF will conclude play in the Paradise Jam Saturday, taking on Villanova at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. The game can be listened to free of charge via UCFAthletics.com.
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.
Newspaper Box Score
Wisconsin vs UCF
11/28/08 2:00 p.m. at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
At St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
WISCONSIN 65, UCF 61
WISCONSIN (4-1)
KAREL, Alyssa 8-15 0-1 17; D'ALIE, Rae Lin 5-8 2-4 14; DAVIS, Jade 4-5 0-0 10; STEINBAUER, Tara 5-8 0-0 10; COVINGTON, Anya 3-6 3-6 9; GANT, Teah 1-3 0-0 2; ZASTROW, Lin 1-5 0-0 2; DUNHAM, Mariah 0-1 1-3 1; THOMAS, Ashley 0-1 0-0 0; RUSSELL, Jamie 0-1 0-2 0. Totals 27-53 6-16 65.
UCF (1-4)
Patrick, Aisha 5-10 4-4 14; Cannon, Emma 5-9 2-3 12; Wiley, Chelsie 4-8 2-3 10; Daniels, D'Nay 3-6 4-6 10; White, Marshay 2-7 5-7 9; Caldwell, Jelisa 2-6 1-2 5; Mealing, Angelica 0-3 1-2 1; Paige, Leah 0-1 0-0 0; Kelly, Ashia 0-1 0-0 0; Stovall, Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-51 19-27 61.
Wisconsin........................ 29 36 - 65
UCF.............................. 27 34 - 61
3-point goals--Wisconsin 5-13 (D'ALIE, Rae Lin 2-2; DAVIS, Jade 2-3; KAREL, Alyssa 1-6; DUNHAM, Mariah 0-1; RUSSELL, Jamie 0-1), UCF 0-2 (; Caldwell, Jelisa 0-1; Mealing, Angelica 0-1). Fouled out--Wisconsin-None, UCF-None. Rebounds--Wisconsin 32 (COVINGTON, Anya 11), UCF 38 (Cannon, Emma 9). Assists--Wisconsin 16 (D'ALIE, Rae Lin 4), UCF 6 (Wiley, Chelsie 2; White, Marshay 2). Total fouls--Wisconsin 20, UCF 19. Technical fouls--Wisconsin-None, UCF-None. A-489 2008 Paradise Jam Women's Basketball Tournament. Presented by the USVI Department of Tourism and Basketball Travelers.
Notes
- The game was the first meeting between the two schools.
- UCF falls to 0-3 all-time against the Big Ten. The previous two meetings were against Purdue.
- Patrick's 14 points were a career-high.
- UCF placed four players in double figures for the second-straight game.
- Angelica Mealing earned the start at point guard, her first start of the season.