Dec. 20, 2014
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By Jenna Marina
UCFKnights.com
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (UCFKnights.com) - A foul heavy second-half gave the UCF women's basketball team little chance to rally against Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. The Knights (4-7) dropped their nonconference finale, 79-57, against the Blue Raiders.
UCF put Middle Tennessee (5-4) in the bonus in the first four minutes of the second half, and the reigning Conference USA champion was able to make good on 18-of-22 from the line the rest of the way to cruise to the win.
"We committed way too many fouls. We were reactive tonight defensively in terms of our assignments," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We were stuck late on everything. We've got to adjust and play early, that's the bottom line."
Freshman Aliyah Gregory led the Knights with a career-high 22 points for her fifth game of double digits in her last six outings. Sophomore Zykira Lewis also chipped in 19 points and senior Yanique Gordon finished with a game-high 9 rebounds.
"Aliyah is a young player that's going to get better and better," Williams said. "We just need her to be aggressive and attack. We have a lot of confidence in her."
Middle Tennessee used a 10-0 run early to open the game up and enjoyed as much as a 21-point advantage in the first half thanks in part to its seven 3-pointers.
Gregory's and-1 led UCF's charge in the final four minutes as the Knights rattled off 8 unanswered points to close the gap, 37-24, at the break.
As UCF picked up 10 fouls with 14:23 to go in the game, perhaps the biggest blow was losing Brittni Montgomery - who headed into the game with back-to-back 20-rebound performances - in the first minute of the second half after she picked up her fourth foul. She was limited to 8 minutes of playing time Saturday.
Unfortunately, the Knights could never find their rhythm and Middle Tennessee remained undefeated in the series, tacking on their fifth win.
The Knights begin league play on Dec. 27 at 3 p.m. at Houston for the second year in a row. The matchup will air on the American Digital Network for free. Last year, the Knights swept the Cougars in the regular season series.
Fans can get in on the action all year with the "Season Ticket Card," which is on sale now, starting at $30. Tickets are available today by calling (407) UCF-1000 or buying online by clicking here.