Jan. 13, 2015
Box Score
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By Jenna Marina
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The Knights gave it all they had against Tulane on Tuesday night, scoring the most points of any Green Wave opponent this season. But a last second jumper stole a 71-70 win from the UCF women's basketball team at CFE Arena.
Leading 70-66 after sophomore Zykira Lewis banked a 3-pointer as the shot clock winded down to its final seconds, UCF (6-10, 2-3) watched Danielle Blagg respond with a trey for Tulane (13-3, 4-1) with 21 seconds left.
Blagg fouled senior Andrea Hines to stop the clock and put her on the line, but Hines' attempt clanked short, allowing Kolby Morgan the opportunity to slip in a layup with 4 seconds to go to edge out the win.
"We let that one slip away, but I liked our fight," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We've got to strap them up and go fight again. Hopefully our team can see that we made a little bit of an improvement tonight. I thought we played hard and we have to continue that."
Lewis finished the night with a game-high 27 points on the strength of five 3-pointers. Freshman Aliyah Gregory added 16 points, and senior Yanique Gordon was a force with a game-high 11 rebounds and 9 points.
UCF led by as much as 10 points in the first half - 16-6 with 11 minutes to go - thanks to a string of 8 unanswered points scored by Gordon and Lewis.
Tulane hung around and managed to tie it up with 5:42 to go, 24-24, with a pair of Tiffany Dale free throws. Two minutes later, the Green Wave took its only lead of the half, 30-28, after Leslie Vorpahl drilled a 3-pointer.
But UCF roared back with a 9-0 flurry to close out the final four minutes thanks to stellar play from its frontcourt. Freshman Fifi Ndour buried an open trey from the left wing. Gordon and senior Stephanie Taylor both chipped in offensive put-backs, and just like that, UCF commanded a 37-30 lead at the break.
It was obvious that the second half would be a battle as the teams traded basket after basket in the opening minutes.
Blagg made things interesting when she drained back-to-back treys from each wing to cut it to a single possession, 47-44, with 14:38 to go. Tierra Jones followed with two free throws and a fast break layup to regain a 48-47 advantage, but Lewis' answered with two consecutive 3-pointers of her own to swing momentum back in the Knights' favor.
UCF clung to its lead for the next 13 minutes. Every time Tulane would threaten to close the gap, the Knights would find a way to convert a timely bucket.
In all, Tulane led for just 32 seconds of the 40-minute match, including when it mattered most - at the final buzzer.
The Knights return to the road on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Philadelphia to meet Temple. It will serve as a homecoming for senior Andrea Hines, who was born and spent much of her childhood in the City of Brotherly Love.
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.