Jan. 25, 2009
HOUSTON, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - Sophomore Amber Kirkpatrick (Lawrenceville, Ga.) scored a season-high 19 points, but Houston (12-6, 4-2 C-USA) built a 17-point halftime lead and staved off a UCF (6-13, 4-2 C-USA) rally in the second half as the Knights fell 80-65 in Conference USA women's basketball action at Hofheinz Pavilion Sunday afternoon.
Kirkpatrick led a comeback effort for UCF in the second half after the Knights fell behind by 17 at the break. The sophomore scored eight-straight points late in the second half, capped by a three-pointer with 2:40 on the clock, to pull UCF within 70-63.
Houston knocked down 10 of its final 12 free throws to close out the game. The Cougars were led by sophomore Courtney Taylor, who scored a game-high 27 points.
Kirkpatrick knocked down 7-of-10 shots from the field, including two out of four three-pointers, to lead the Knights. Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) and Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) each scored 14 points in the game. Cannon added a game-high 10 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
In the opening half, the visiting Knights started strong and led 12-9 on a jumper by sophomore D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) at the 14:28 mark. Cannon had six points during the stretch.
Capitalizing on UCF's poor shooting and turnovers, Houston ripped off a 27-6 run over the next 10-plus minutes. By the time Mealing hit a jumper at the 3:56 mark, Houston led 38-20. The lead would hit as many as 21 before UCF closed to 45-28 at the break.
Cannon, Mealing and Kirkpatrick each had six points in the first half to lead the Knights, who hit just 11-of-34 shots for 32.4 percent and committed 16 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
Houston, led by Taylor's 13 points, scored 28 points off the Knights' first-half miscues. For the game, the Cougars had 41 points scored off UCF's 24 turnovers. The turnover total was the most for the Knights since Dec. 20 against Ole Miss.
The Knights hit 50 percent (15-30) of their shots in the second half, but Houston knocked down 52.4 percent (11-21) in the period and finished the game at 50 percent (29-58) from the field.
On the strength of 20 offensive boards, UCF outrebounded Houston 40-34 in the game. Freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) had eight rebounds to go with four steals and three assists.
The Knights return to UCF Arena on Thursday, beginning a four-game homestand with a 7 p.m. game against East Carolina.
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 Houston
01/25/09 2:05 p.m. at Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston, Texas)
At Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston, Texas)
HOUSTON 80, UCF 65
UCF (6-13, 4-2 C-USA)
Kirkpatrick, Amber 7-10 3-4 19; Mealing, Angelica 6-12 2-2 14; Cannon, Emma 5-16 4-4 14; White, Marshay 4-6 0-2 8; Daniels, D'Nay 3-6 0-1 6; PATRICK, Aisha 1-8 0-0 2; Wiley, Chelsie 0-5 2-2 2; Paige, Leah 0-1 0-0 0; CALDWELL, Jelisa 0-0 0-0 0; Kelly, Ashia 0-0 0-0 0; Stovall, Jasmine 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-64 11-15 65.
HOUSTON (12-6, 4-2 C-USA)
TAYLOR, Courtney 10-13 6-8 27; SCOTT, Brittney 5-10 5-5 16; BUTTON, Roxana 3-9 2-2 10; LANDRY, Porsche 4-5 1-2 9; MASON, Brittany 2-5 1-3 5; JOHNSON, Jasmine 2-7 1-2 5; JAKOBSONE, Zane 1-2 0-0 3; JOSEPH, Ashlee' 1-2 1-2 3; HILL, Cobilyn 1-3 0-0 2; BRADLEY, Ryan 0-0 0-0 0; MORTON, Megan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 29-58 17-24 80.
UCF............................. 28 37 - 65
Houston......................... 45 35 - 80
3-point goals--UCF 2-6 (Kirkpatrick, Amber 2-4; Mealing, Angelica 0-1; Wiley, Chelsie 0-1), Houston 5-17 (BUTTON, Roxana 2-6; JAKOBSONE, Zane 1-2; SCOTT, Brittney 1-4; TAYLOR, Courtney 1-1; MORTON, Megan 0-2; JOHNSON, Jasmine 0-1; LANDRY, Porsche 0-1). Fouled out--UCF-KIRKPATRICK, Amber, Houston-None. Rebounds--UCF 40 (Cannon, Emma 10), Houston 34 (MASON, Brittany 8). Assists--UCF 12 (Mealing, Angelica 6), Houston 16 (LANDRY, Porsche 4). Total fouls--UCF 20, Houston 16. Technical fouls--UCF-None, Houston-None. A-465