Dec. 18, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Chelsie Wiley scored a career-high 20 points, and UCF (2-8) led by six at the break, but visiting Miami (7-3) held the Knights to just 29.6 percent from the field in the second half in winning 66-59 Thursday night in non-conference women's basketball action at UCF Arena. The game marked the first home game for UCF since Nov. 22, a span of 26 days.
Wiley knocked down 8-of-15 shots from the field en route to her career high, and also added six rebounds and four steals in 27 minutes off the Knights bench.
"We do not like losing, and that is the thing, we have to understand what it takes to win games," said head coach Joi Williams. "I have felt good about our preparation in the practices coming into this game and I felt good about our game and we carried it out for the most part, but turnovers and our execution in the second half hurt us."
UCF led 51-50 on a pair of free throws from Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) with 6:13, but the visiting Hurricanes scored six-straight points to reclaim a lead they would not relinquish.
The Knights closed to 61-58 with under a minute to play on buckets from Wiley and freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.), but UCF could get no closer the rest of the way.
The hosts closed the first half on a 9-2 run, capped by a Wiley three, to lead 36-30 at the break. A pair of Miami runs spanning 7-2 and 7-0 quickly erased the Canes' deficit early in the second half. The second gave the visitors a 46-43 lead with 12:15 remaining.
UCF got baskets from four different players on an early 10-0 run to lead 19-9 midway through the first half. After Miami regained the lead, UCF closed the half on the 7-2 run for the halftime margin.
White scored 11 points to join Wiley in double figures. UCF's leading scorer Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to just miss her sixth double double of the season. Patrick matched Cannon's total with nine points.
In a matchup of two good rebounding teams, UCF won the battle of the boards, 43-42. With 21 offensive rebounds, the Knights had 20-plus on that end of the floor for the second-straight game.
Freshman Shenise Johnson led Miami with 15 points, and Epiphany Woodson added 13 off the bench.
The Knights will return to the court less than 24 hours after leaving it, hosting Wake Forest, another Atlantic Coast Conference foe, in the opener of the UCF Holiday Classic at 7 p.m. at UCF Arena.
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
Miami vs UCF 12/18/08 7 p.m. at Orlando, Fla. (UCF Arena) At Orlando, Fla. (UCF Arena)
MIAMI 66, UCF 59
MIAMI (7-3)
Shenise Johnson 5-13 5-6 15; Epiphany Woodson 5-9 2-3 13; Riquna Williams 3-9 1-2 9; Sylvia Bullock 3-4 1-2 7; Ashley Sours 3-6 0-0 6; LaToya Drake 1-6 4-4 6; Lamese James 2-4 2-2 6; LaToya Cunningham 1-6 0-0 3; Charmaine Clark 0-1 1-2 1; Damisha Moore 0-3 0-0 0; Briyana Blair 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-62 16-21 66.
UCF (2-8)
Wiley, Chelsie 8-15 2-3 20; White, Marshay 3-10 4-4 11; Cannon, Emma 4-8 1-2 9; Patrick, Aisha 4-13 1-2 9; Kirkpatrick, Amber 2-9 2-2 6; Daniels, D'Nay 2-9 0-0 4; Paige, Leah 0-0 0-0 0; Caldwell, Jelisa 0-1 0-0 0; Kelly, Ashia 0-0 0-2 0; Mealing, Angelica 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 10-15 59.
Miami......................... 30 36 - 66
UCF............................. 36 23 - 59
3-point goals--Miami 4-16 (Riquna Williams 2-6; Epiphany Woodson 1-3; LaToya Cunningham 1-4; Charmaine Clark 0-1; Briyana Blair 0-1; Shenise Johnson 0-1), UCF 3-9 (Wiley, Chelsie 2-5; White, Marshay 1-3; Kirkpatrick, Amber 0-1). Fouled out--Miami-None, UCF-CANNON, Emma. Rebounds--Miami 42 (Shenise Johnson 6; LaToya Drake 6; Lamese James 6), UCF 43 (Cannon, Emma 12). Assists--Miami 14 (Shenise Johnson 3; LaToya Cunningham 3; Charmaine Clark 3), UCF 11 (Patrick, Aisha 4). Total fouls--Miami 18, UCF 19. Technical fouls--Miami-None, UCF-None. A-844
Notes
- The Knights' contest against Miami was the first home game at the UCF Arena in 26 days.
- Chelsie Wiley recorded a career high of 20 points against the Hurricanes. Last year at Memphis, Wiley scored 19 points.
- With the 22 offensive rebounds on the night, UCF continued its three game streak of recording 20 offensive rebounds at home. The Knights have grabbed 20 offensive boards six times this season.
- For the sixth straight game, UCF led against their opponent in the second half. - UCF is now 2-3 on the season against teams from Florida this season. The team has a game against Florida State (Dec. 31) remaining.
- The program is 192-166 all-time against 25 different schools from the Sunshine State.