Jan. 20, 2011
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By Pat Salvas
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior D'Nay Daniels (Atlanta, Ga.) became the 14th player in UCF women's basketball history to reach 1,000-career points Thursday night at Memphis' Elma Roane Fieldhouse. Despite Daniels reaching the milestone figure, the Knights (10-8, 3-2) fell to the Conference USA rival Tigers (14-5, 3-2), 74-53.
After hitting the floor hard going for a rebound midway through the first half, Daniels went to the bench for a quick breather. Sitting out just three minutes, she returned to add four points down the stretch, including her momentous basket with just under four minutes remaining in the first.
A mid-range jumper from the left side with 3:47 on the clock gave her six points in the opening half and 1,000 for her career. She joins fellow senior Chelsie Wiley (Riviera Beach, Fla.) as a member of the 1,000-point club, making UCF one of just two programs in C-USA with two active players to reach the milestone.
The Tigers never trailed in the game, taking control early on the strength of 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range in the first half. Memphis was 15-of-26 (57.7%) overall from the floor in the opening period, while UCF managed just 9-of-32 (28.1%) shooting from the floor.
Playing just 26 minutes in the game, Daniels still managed to lead the Knights in scoring and rebounds. The fourth-year post player was 7-of-14 from the floor to finish with 14 points, while adding a game-high eight rebounds.
Wiley and Aisha Patrick (Rockledge, Fla.) both reached in double figures in scoring for the Knights. Wiley finished with 12, while Patrick added 11 points and a game-high three steals. Senior guard Jelisa Caldwell (Decatur, Ga.) led the Knights with four assists.
UCF's defense helped the Knights outshoot Memphis in the second half 37.5 percent (12-32) to 36.7 percent (11-30). But Alex Winchell's game-high 15 points on 5-of-6 from three-point range sealed the win for Memphis, snapping a two-game losing streak of its own with the win.
After starting the conference season with three-straight victories, the Knights have now lost consecutive games to league opponents. Prior to Thursday night, the team had not lost back-to-back contests since the beginning of December, a span of eight games.
UCF is back in action on Sunday at the UCF Arena as they host Marshall at 2 p.m. Sunday's contest with the Thundering Herd marks the Knights' annual Gold Rush game. Admission is FREE and the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free UCF Gold Rush t-shirt.
Don't miss out on another exciting UCF women's basketball game this season as affordable single-game tickets for the remaining five home games are available right now. Tickets start at $2 for youth and seniors, $5 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000.