Feb. 21, 2009
NEW ORLEANS, La. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF (11-16, 9-5 C-USA) fell behind by 16 points at halftime and, despite a game-high 21 points from sophomore Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.), never recovered in a 73-64 loss to Tulane (16-12, 8-6 C-USA) Saturday afternoon in Conference USA women's basketball action at Fogelman Arena. The game ends a four-game road trip for the Knights.
With three starters playing just six minutes combined in the first half, UCF struggled offensively and fell behind 42-26 at the break. Due to foul trouble, freshman Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) and sophomore Emma Cannon were limited to one and four minutes respectively. Sophomore Amber Kirkpatrick (Lawrenceville, Ga.) played just one minute in the period due to injury.
After a pair of Wiley free throws cut the lead to 19-17 midway through the first half, Tulane scored 17 of the next 22 points to lead 36-22 with 2:42 remaining. Taking advantage of the absence of Kirkpatrick and Cannon, Brittany Lindsey scored 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting in the half.
In the opening half, UCF hit just 8-of-27 shots from the field for 29.6 percent while turning the ball over 15 times. Tulane meanwhile canned 15-for-26 from the floor before the break for 57.7 percent and committed just seven turnovers.
Wiley was the bright spot offensively in the first half, hitting two three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throws en route to 13 points. The sophomore bounced back from a 2-for-15 effort on Thursday night to post her eighth 20-point game of the season.
Getting six points from Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.), the Knights used a 10-2 run to cut a 21-point deficit to 11 with 10:51 left in the game. UCF then had three-straight possessions to cut the lead below 10, but had two misses and a turnover. The Green Wave responded with a 10-1 spurt of their own to push the lead back to 68-48 with 5:13 left, and UCF could get no closer than nine the rest of the night.
Cannon came back with 12 second-half points and added 14 points and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half and added five rebounds and four assists.
The second half was completely different for UCF offensively as the team hit 15-of-26 shots from the field for 57.7 percent. The Knights finished the game 23-for-53 for 43.4 percent. However, Tulane did not fall off significantly from the first half, shooting 44.4 percent in the second and finishing 27-for-53 for 50.9 percent.
Tulane put three players in double figures with Lindsey ending the night with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Chassity Brown and Brett Benzio added 12 and 10 points respectively. Led by Brown's efforts, the Green Wave bench outscored their Knight counterparts 28-10.
UCF now returns home for its final two games of the regular season, beginning Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Memphis at UCF Arena. The game, partnered with Sunday's 3 p.m. tip-off against UAB, is part of a 2 for $2 promotion. Knights' fans can gain admission to both contests for just two dollars total.
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 Tulane
2/21/09 1 p.m. at New Orleans (Fogelman Arena)
At New Orleans (Fogelman Arena)
TULANE 73, UCF 64
UCF (11-16, 9-5 C-USA)
Wiley, Chelsie 6-15 6-8 21; Cannon, Emma 4-5 6-8 14; Mealing, Angelica 5-10 2-2 12; Daniels, D'Nay 3-4 1-2 7; Patrick, Aisha 2-5 0-0 4; White, Marshay 1-3 0-0 2; Kelly, Ashia 1-2 0-0 2; Kirkpatrick, Amber 1-4 0-0 2; Paige, Leah 0-2 0-0 0; Caldwell, Jelisa 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-53 15-20 64.
TULANE (16-12, 8-6 C-USA)
LINDSEY, Brittany 6-8 3-3 15; BROWN, Chassity 4-8 4-4 12; BENZIO, Brett 4-6 2-3 10; VALICEVIC, Megan 3-8 3-4 9; AIDOO, Tiffany 4-10 1-3 9; KALJO, Indira 2-4 1-2 6; BARNES, Roshaunda 3-6 0-0 6; LANGFORD, Ashley 1-3 3-4 5; JACKSON, Tia 0-0 1-2 1; SLATON, Kiara 0-0 0-0 0; NWOKEDI, Jennifer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-53 18-25 73.
UCF............................ 26 38 - 64
Tulane......................... 42 31 - 73
3-point goals--UCF 3-13 (Wiley, Chelsie 3-9; Mealing, Angelica 0-1; Kirkpatrick, Amber 0-2; Caldwell, Jelisa 0-1), Tulane 1-10 (KALJO, Indira 1-3; VALICEVIC, Megan 0-3; AIDOO, Tiffany 0-3; BARNES, Roshaunda 0-1). Fouled out--UCF-MEALING, Angelica; Daniels, D'Nay, Tulane-LINDSEY, Brittany. Rebounds--UCF 38 (Cannon, Emma 7), Tulane 23 (BENZIO, Brett 6). Assists--UCF 11 (Mealing, Angelica 4), Tulane 21 (LANGFORD, Ashley 7). Total fouls--UCF 23, Tulane 17. Technical fouls--UCF-None, Tulane-None. A-534