Jan. 10, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (UCFAthletics.com) - Sophomore Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) scored 18 of her 21 points in the second half, sparking a comeback as visiting UCF (5-11, 3-0 C-USA) defeated UAB (6-10, 1-2 C-USA) 74-67 Saturday evening in Conference USA women's basketball action at Bartow Arena.
With the victory, UCF matches its win total from C-USA play a season ago and moves to 3-0 in league play for the first time since joining the league in 2005-06.
"We talked about this being our toughest test yet," said head coach Joi Williams. "The Southern Miss game was tough, but we were at home. It is a testament to this team to win on the road, and somehow we were able to find a way to win today against a very good UAB team. I am proud of the way we came out in the second half."
The Knights trailed 26-24 after a sluggish first half which saw the team shoot just 30.0 percent (9-30) from the field and commit seven turnovers. Despite 16 points from sophomore Amanda Peterson, the Blazers committed 10 turnovers of their own and were unable to extend their lead.
UAB pushed its edge to five on two occasions early in the second half, the last time with 16:39 remaining on an Amanda Scott layup.
The Knights responded with an 8-0 spurt to take the lead, but the Blazers tied the game at 41on a three-point play by Peterson with 9:41 left. Moments later, UCF's leading scorer Emma Cannon went to the bench with her fourth foul and UAB looked to have the momentum.
Cannon's teammates, most noticeably Wiley, responded to her absence. Wiley knocked down a pair of threes and scored eight points during a 17-6 run that gave the visitors a 58-47 lead with 4:24 on the clock.
UCF knocked down 17-for-30 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 threes, in the second half en route to 50 points. The Knights also went 13-for-25 from the foul line in the second half.
The Blazers did not quit, however, and led by Britney Jones, UAB knocked four threes over the next four minutes to cut the Knights' lead to three (70-67) on a Fatiha Salaam triple with 29 seconds left. A turnover by Peterson and clutch free throws by the Knights closed out the game.
Jones scored 17 of her game-high 23 points after halftime for UAB, but Peterson was held to just five after the opening 20 minutes and finished with 21.
The UCF bench outscored its UAB counterparts 21-4 in the game to help three Knights' starters in double figures. Sophomore Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 12 points off the bench for the visitors while D'Nay Daniels added six.
After scoring just three points on two shots in the first half, Wiley knocked down 5-of-11 attempts, including 2-for-3 from long range, in the second half. The league's leading three-point shooter hit three of her five three-pointers on the night. Cannon battled foul trouble all game, but still finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) added 13 points, four rebounds and three steals.
The Knights will get over a week off from game action before traveling to Hattiesburg, Miss., for a rematch with Southern Miss next Sunday, Jan. 18 at 3:00 p.m. The Knights opened C-USA play with a 65-59 victory over the Golden Eagles, the team picked to win the league title in the preseason coaches' poll.
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
UCF vs UAB
1/10/09 6 p.m. at Birmingham, Ala. (Bartow Arena)
At Birmingham, Ala. (Bartow Arena)
UCF 74, UAB 67
UCF (5-11, 3-0 C-USA)
Wiley, Chelsie 6-13 6-8 21; Cannon, Emma 5-10 4-5 14; Patrick, Aisha 4-12 5-8 13; White, Marshay 6-10 0-6 12; Daniels, D'Nay 2-6 2-2 6; Caldwell, Jelisa 1-2 0-0 3; Kirkpatrick, Amber 1-3 1-2 3; Mealing, Angelica 1-4 0-0 2; Paige, Leah 0-0 0-0 0; Kelly, Ashia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-60 18-31 74.
UAB (6-10, 1-2 C-USA)
JONES, Britney 8-20 5-8 23; PETERSON, Amanda 9-16 1-1 21; DUKES, Tamika 4-13 2-2 10; SCOTT, Amanda 2-3 0-0 5; SALAAM, Fatiha 1-3 1-2 4; TRUEHEART, Miteka 1-1 0-0 2; BREAUX, Shelly 1-4 0-0 2; BROWN, Meagan 0-0 0-0 0; SIMPSON, Erica 0-1 0-0 0; RANDALL, TaRonda 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-61 9-13 67.
UCF........................... 24 50 - 74
UAB........................... 26 41 - 67
3-point goals--UCF 4-8 (Wiley, Chelsie 3-5; Caldwell, Jelisa 1-1; Daniels, D'Nay 0-1; Mealing, Angelica 0-1), UAB 6-14 (PETERSON, Amanda 2-4; JONES, Britney 2-6; SCOTT, Amanda 1-2; SALAAM, Fatiha 1-1; BREAUX, Shelly 0-1). Fouled out--UCF-None, UAB-BREAUX, Shelly. Rebounds--UCF 41 (Kirkpatrick, Amber 6; Daniels, D'Nay 6; Cannon, Emma 6), UAB 37 (DUKES, Tamika 8; JONES, Britney 8). Assists--UCF 11 (White, Marshay 5), UAB 7 (JONES, Britney 4). Total fouls--UCF 18, UAB 22. Technical fouls--UCF-None, UAB-None. A-837