Nov. 8, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - In its final tune-up before getting the regular season underway, the UCF women's basketball team battled tough against DT3 Saturday afternoon before falling 80-73 in an exhibition game at UCF Arena.
Sophomore Chelsie Wiley came off the bench to lead three Knights in double figures with 18 points. Wiley connected on 7-of-11 shots and knocked down a pair of threes.
Fellow sophomore Emma Cannon scored 15 points for the Knights, and junior Marcquitta Head added 11 points and 13 rebounds for UCF. Freshman point guard Aisha Patrick added seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
"The great thing about exhibition games is it gives us a chance to really focus on what we need to do to improve," said head coach Joi Williams. "I thought we did some good things in a lot of areas. I thought defensively we did not do as well as I had hoped. We had some positives and a lot of things for our team to build off of going into Colorado next week."
DT3, an exhibition traveling team, was formed in August of 2005 in Tallahassee, Fla. The team competes against the nation's top collegiate programs during the NCAA Division I exhibition season, this season having already played Maryland, USF and Florida among others.
DT3 featured numerous players who play or have played in the WNBA, including current players Nikki Teasley of the Atlanta Dream and Erica White of the Houston Comets. Teasley,a UNC grad, scored 20 of her game-high 24 points in the second half after struggling to just four points on 1-for-8 shooting in the opening half.
Led by Head, UCF held an edge of 53-33 on the boards for the game. Cannon and Patrick added seven rebounds apiece for the Knights, who grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and held a 38-20 edge in points in the paint.
"I think my strong suit right now is rebounding," said Head. "If I can get the defensive rebounds and hit the outlet than we can go in transition. I want to focus on defense first and the offense will come."
DT3 led 31-29 at the break thanks to a deep three-pointer from White at the buzzer. White, an LSU grad who played in four Final Fours, scored 20 points.
The Knights will now turn their attention to their first game when they travel to Boulder, Colo., to play Colorado on Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m. After Colorado, UCF will host Florida A&M in the home opener at UCF Arena on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 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.