Jan. 16, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
DALLAS (UCFAthletics.com) - Despite several key defensive stops in the final five minutes, the UCF women's basketball team could not overcome a second-half deficit to complete a comeback attempt against SMU Sunday afternoon at Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs (9-8, 2-2) held on late for the 70-63 win, handing the Knights (10-7, 3-1) their first Conference USA loss of the season in the process.
"We were disappointed with our start in the first half," head coach Joi Williams said. "We didn't have any offensive continuity, we weren't very disciplined and that led to some breakdowns. Those are some things we can learn from moving forward."
Senior D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) was one-rebound shy of her third double-double in as many games, finishing with nine rebounds and a game-high 17 points for the Knights.
Junior guard Aisha Patrick (Rockledege, Fla.) scored all 14 of her points in the second half and added a career-high seven steals, including six in the second half to spark the Knights' comeback.
Trailing by nine with six minutes to play, UCF chipped away at the lead with defensive stops and points in transition. The Knights made it a one-point game, 62-61, with 2:19 on the clock, but were unable to pull even down the stretch. SMU, the league's top free-throw shooting team, was 23-of-26 from the line in the game, including its last eight points to seal the win, 70-63.
UCF had just three players score in the first half as seniors Daniels, Jelisa Caldwell (Macon, Ga.) and Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) each had four field goals for the Knights (12-25). Wiley scored seven straight UCF points in just over two minutes of action to tie the game at 25-25 with 4:15 remaining in the opening period.
Big shots from SMU, including two from three-point range, in the final two and a half minutes put the Mustangs ahead headed into the break, 38-31. The seven-point deficit after 20 minutes of play marked the first time the Knights trailed at the break since Dec. 15 at Florida State.
Caldwell matched Patrick with 14 points in the game, while Wiley scored all 13 of her points in the first half, before being held without a bucket or a free throw in the final 20 minutes.
SMU held a slight edge in rebounds in the game, 31-30, on the strength of eight from Christine Elliot. Patrick and Daniels tied for the game high for the fourth time this season as each had nine boards Sunday.
UCF will next play on Thursday night at Memphis to close out the two-game road swing. The Knights and Tigers will tip-off at 8 p.m.
Season and single-game tickets are on sale now as well with season ticket packages starting at just $39. Fans can purchase tickets online here or by calling (407) UCF-1000.