Dec. 12, 2009
BOCA RATON, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - For the second-straight game, offensive woes put UCF (2-3) in a double-digit hole midway through the second half. For the second-straight game, a furious, late rally fell just short as the visiting Knights fell at FAU (4-5) 63-61 Saturday evening in non-conference women's basketball action.
Sophomore Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) was the catalyst for UCF on both ends of the floor, playing 38 minutes of impressive all-around basketball. The point guard scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, tied a career-high with five steals and dished out two assists.
Opening the game with a flourish offensively, UCF had three-pointers knocked down by juniors Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) and Angelica Mealing (Decatur, Ga.) and a pair of early baskets from Cannon to take a 16-11 lead with 11:54 remaining in the first half.
As they later did in the second, things turned abruptly for the Knights from there offensively, as UCF struggled to score over the final 12 minutes of the opening half. Over that stretch, the team connected on only 2-of-18 shots from the field and scored only six points.
Getting three steals from Patrick and only turning the ball over three times, UCF was able to hang around the Owls and went to the break trailing only 26-22.
After a difficult first half offensively left them in only the four-point hole, UCF played well coming out of the locker room. Getting four free throws from Wiley and a pair of layups, the Knights rattled off a quick 8-4 run to tie the game at 30-30.
Playing near her hometown, Wiley added 13 points for the Knights, but hit only 3-of-10 shots and 2-for-7 from long range. Fellow junior Emma Cannon (Rochester, N.Y.) added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Midway through the second half, the UCF offense went silent again and the Owls used a 17-3 run to build their biggest lead of the night, 57-42, with 6:44 remaining.
UCF still trailed by 11 with under four minutes to play, but as they did in a 62-59 loss to Washington last Sunday, the Knights stormed back looking to steal the win. Marshay White (Rochester, N.Y.) surrounded a Patrick layup with four points to cut the deficit to 59-54 by the 2:41 mark.
After a defensive stop, possibly the decisive play of the game happened on UCF's next possession. Freshman Gevenia Carter (Houston, Texas) missed a jumper in the lane, but Cannon grabbed the rebound and scored on a putback. The whistle had blown, however, and Cannon was called for a foul on the rebound, disallowing the bucket and putting FAU at the line for a pair of free throws.
The subsequent six-point Owl lead was too much to overcome. Patrick scored for the final margin on a layup, but with only 2.2 seconds left FAU ran out the clock.
After shooting only 25.8 percent (8-31) in the first half, UCF improved slightly in the second to shoot 37.1 percent (13-35), but the Knights hit only 1-of-7 three-pointers in the period and finished the game 3-for-15. Meanwhile, FAU knocked down 51.1 percent of its shots (24-47) overall and connected on five three-pointers.
The Knights fell despite committing a season-low eight turnovers and grabbing 17 offensive rebounds.
Carla Stubbs led FAU with a game-high 19 points while Erica Caldwell and Brittany Bowe added 15 and 13 respectively.
With its last non-conference road game in the books, UCF will return home to begin a four-game homestand. The stretch of games begins Monday when the Knights host Alabama at the UCF Arena beginning at 7 p.m. The game will also be televised live by Bright House Sports Network.
Season and single-game tickets are currently available with the UCF Ticket Office. Knight fans can purchase season tickets for each of the team's 14 home games for just $39. For more information on purchasing tickets, contact the UCF ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
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.