Nov. 24, 2015
MOBILE, Ala. (UCFKnights.com) -- Defense was the name of the game for the UCF women's basketball team in its 77-36 win at South Alabama on Tuesday night.
Related: Box Score 
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The Knights (3-1) held the Jaguars (1-2) to 26 percent from the field (15-57), which included a dismal 2-of-20 performance behind the arc. By halftime, South Alabama had managed just 10 points.
"I thought we came out with some great defensive intensity," UCF head coach Joi Williams said. "We changed our defense up a lot and our team did a good job of being alert."
Meanwhile, UCF posted its third-straight outing of netting at least 50 percent from the field and was led by freshman reserve Kayla Thigpen's career high 18 points.
Fellow freshman and UCF's leading scorer Ashley Polacek notched her fourth-straight game of double figures with 11 points. She was joined by junior Zykira Lewis's 12 points and redshirt junior Joslyn Massey's game-high 11 rebounds.
Remarkable Rookie
? Kayla Thigpen had a breakout performance with her game-high 18 points on Tuesday, scoring 13 in the second half.
? She shot 8-of-10 from the field, marking the best performance by a Knight so far this year.
? She also swiped a game-high four steals, helping the Knights match their best effort to date with 11 by the final buzzer.
? "She's got to really focus on her defense. She loves offense," Williams said with a laugh. "She's a player who is capable of scoring in a lot of different ways. I'm really proud of her tonight. I thought she played better on the defensive end, got some steals and turned that into offense."
Streak Snapped
? UCF finally got the monkey of its back by checking off its first non-conference road win in two years.
? The Knights also put together three-straight wins for the first time since 2013.
Up Next
? UCF hosts its Thanksgiving Classic and will meet Buffalo and Butler in consecutive days at CFE Arena on Nov. 28-29.
? UCF has squared off against Buffalo just once before, in 1997's home win.
? The Knights will look for their first win over Butler in program history (0-3), meeting the Bulldogs for the first time since 2005.
Story by Jenna Marina