Feb. 4, 2012
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
By Jenna Marina
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought 65-57 decision on Saturday at the FedEx Forum in front of a national television audience. Senior Aisha Patrick and redshirt junior Kayli Keough led three Knights in double digits with a game-high 18 points.
Junior guard Gevenia Carter added 10 points, and freshman Andrea Hines recorded a career-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Erika Jones matched Hines' game-high 10 boards while Patrick fell one rebound shy of a double-double.
The Knights (10-12, 5-5 C-USA) rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit when Keough's layup capped a 10-2 run, shrinking the gap to 46-44 with 8:05 remaining. But Brittany Carter responded with a deep three from the top of the key (17-5, 7-2) with six seconds on the shot clock that disrupted UCF's rhythm.
"The momentum shifted. In that timeout, we talked about that it was short seconds and we had to know where No. 35 was. Her range is deep - we said that in the huddle," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "It was a defensive breakdown and a mental breakdown that we can't have if we want to win on the road."
The Knights and Tigers went toe-to-toe in the first 20 minutes as each battled for an edge with four tied scores and four lead changes. UCF took its first lead of the game, 14-13, when Hines grabbed her sixth rebound and dribbled for a coast-to-coast layup.
As UCF led 21-19, Memphis went on a 10-2 run spanning the next five minutes before Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir committed two fouls in the final 33 seconds, which allowed Carter and Patrick to convert all four bonus free throws to inch within 29-27 at the half.
Memphis used an 11-1 run to increase its lead to 46-36 before Carter sank a jumper in the paint at 12:43 to spark UCF's offensive burst. After Dickson's three-pointer, the Knights never managed to get over the hump again.
Up next, UCF will host its Pack The House game against UAB on Sunday at 2 p.m. Two fans will have a chance to win a brand new car provided by Carl Black of Orlando and one UCF student will have the chance to win $10,000. Admission is free to the game.