Feb. 11, 2014
Box Score
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By Jenna Marina
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Maybe it was the team's new pink hightops. Maybe it was the change in the starting lineup. Whatever it was, it clicked for the UCF women's basketball team on Tuesday night.
The Knights (10-14, 3-10) earned their first win over SMU (14-10, 5-8) in the regular season since 2009 with their 59-54 victory at CFE Arena in their annual Play 4Kay pink game.
Freshman Zykira Lewis topped her career high for the second-straight game and netted her third-straight game of double figures with a team-high 22 points.
Senior Sara Djassi joined her in double digits with 10 points while senior Erika Jones grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
Jones, junior Yanique Gordon and freshman Jordan Jackson all received their first starting nods of the season, mixing things up on the court for the first time in 10 games.
After missing her first 3-pointer attempted, Lewis caught on fire, draining a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc for the rest of the first half. Meanwhile the Knights gained a slight edge with an 8-0 run while holding SMU without a basket for more than six minutes.
The Mustangs chipped in a quick 8 points of their own just before halftime to inch within 25-23. UCF entered the game holding a 6-1 record when leading at the half, and the team's success continued to hold true Tuesday.
Birthday girl Gordon, who received her first career starting nod as a Knight, sparked UCF's 9-2 run that opened the second half. She finished with a season-high 7 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 13 minutes of action.
SMU picked up four fouls on one UCF possession to put the Knights in the bonus with 12:49 left to play, which worked in the Knights' favor toward the end of the game.
The Mustangs managed to chip away at UCF's once-12 point advantage and cut it to 44-41 before Lewis made 1-of-2 bonus free throws and followed with a jumper to push back out to 47-41 with less than five minutes to play.
SMU put Lewis, Taylor, Hines and Djassi on the line, and the four combined to once again extend UCF's lead out to double figures, 58-48 with 22 seconds remaining.
But the American Athletic Conference's leading scorer, Keena Mays, refused to head back to Dallas without grasping once more for the lead. She hit a pair of 3-pointers to keep things interesting, but the Knights remained cool and collected to hold on for the win.
UCF travels north to assistant coach Courtney Locke's alma mater, Rutgers, on Saturday at 2 p.m.