Nov. 6, 2011
Read John Denton's Knights Insider | Follow us on Twitter | Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - First games always bring a level of nervousness and unknowns, and when UCF found itself trailing by 10 points in the first four minutes in Sunday's exhibition opener, guard Aisha Patrick did her best to calm her teammates down.
Patrick did that by exerting some senior leadership and also by pouring in a game-high 23 points as UCF surged past Lynn University, 65-55.
Hardened by the experience of winning two Conference USA titles during her time at UCF, Patrick is now the unquestioned leader of a Knights team that is hoping for big things this season. She was as shocked as anyone when UCF fell behind 13-3 early on Sunday, but she remained confident that the team would eventually get on track.
"Everybody was nervous coming out in the first game and not knowing what to expect," said Patrick, a preseason All-C-USA pick. "But after we got those first few minutes under our belt coach talked to us about defense and we all got it together. We needed to get it together quick."
UCF also got big performances from sophomore center Erika Jones and true freshmen guards Meghan Keough and Bryeasha Blair. Jones scored 14 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, while Keough (11 points) and Blair (three points, six rebounds and two assists) played well in their collegiate debuts.
The Knights open regular-season play Saturday at South Alabama. The home-opener is Nov. 18 against Florida A&M.
Head coach Joi Williams, who signed a five-year contract extension in September, said that her team will have to continue to improve to thrive against UCF's rugged nonconference schedule. The Knights host games against Virginia Tech (Dec. 18) and Florida State (Dec. 30) and play at Notre Dame (Dec. 20).
"I think we can be really good, but we have a lot of work to do to do that. Potential means nothing," said Williams, who led the Knights to C-USA titles in 2009 and `11. "This conference is wide open and our nonconference schedule is set up in a great way for us to have a great nonconference season. One thing we've talked about is taking the focus to a different level in practice because that's where it really starts.
"Lynn is a very good team in its league and they competed, but the competition is going to be twice this next Saturday (against South Alabama)," Williams continued. "Sometimes you have to learn the hard way, but the good thing is we could learn today and win. But we have to take it into our own hands and control our destiny."
With the top two scorers from last season's team - D'Nay Daniels and Chelsie Wiley - gone, more of the scoring will fall on to the shoulders of Patrick, a 5-9 guard from Rockledge. More of a defender and distributor in the past, Patrick has had to go through the transition of looking to score more now.
She did just that on Sunday, making nine of 19 shots, burying a 3-pointer and hitting four free throws. And as always, she filled up the box score with eight rebounds and four steals to go along with her 23 points.
"We've been working on setting good screens, making good cuts and better reads. My teammates are doing a wonderful job of screening for me to get me open and I'm just reading off them," Patrick said.
Added Williams: "The reality of it is that this team is kind of going to go as (Patrick) goes. Our opponents know that, but that's something that Aisha is accepting. She knows that she has to lead this team."
Stepping up is also essential for Jones, the 6-foot-2 center from Alabama. She was mostly in a supporting role last season while averaging just 3.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes a game.
Jones kept the Knights in the game early on with her work on the boards and activity around the rim. She had 10 rebounds in the first half alone, four of them coming on the offensive end. She also had nine points and two steals in the first 20 minutes. She finished with a career-high 18 rebounds with six of them coming on the offensive glass.
"I've figured out with the players that we lost last year I have to step up and get on the boards," Jones said. "I want to make my team proud and my coaches, as well."
Lynn, which made nine of 27 from behind the arc, inched within five points of the lead in the final two minutes. But a layup and a free throw from Blair, a post spin by Jones and two more free throws from Patrick sealed the win.
Down as much as 10 points early in the game, UCF stormed back to take the lead with a furious charge just before halftime. The Knights scored the final 11 points of the first half, and their 16-2 burst gave them a 35-26 lead at the break.
UCF also got a nice lift from the sisters Kayli and Meghan Keough. Kayli, the 6-foot-2 junior transfer from Florida State, started at power forward and had a blocked shot and a rebound in 15 minutes. Meghan, a true freshman from Tampa Catholic High School, had five points and a 3-pointer in the first half. For the game, she made four of seven shots, including a nifty left-handed scoop shot that put UCF up 56-45 in the second half.
"Meghan has that (confident) personality. She's won back-to-back state championships and came from a team that relied on her. And now that she's playing with other good players, she fits right in and knows her role," Williams said of Meghan Keough, who started the second half. "With Meghan and Bryeasha, neither one of them have any fear. I'm excited about their futures and hopefully we can build on that."
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.