PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (UCFKnights.com) -- Foul trouble in the third quarter led to a disappointing end to the regular season for the UCF women's basketball team on Monday at Temple. The Knights fell 78-64 on the road.
In effect, UCF is locked in as the No. 10 seed for the American Athletic Conference Championship and will face No. 7 seed SMU in Friday's quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
Related: Box Score | Box Score | Championship Bracket
The Knights went pound for pound with the Owls in the first half and trailed by just one possession as they went into the break, 33-30.
But in the third quarter, Temple nearly matched its offensive production of the first half. The Owls, emboldened by senior Erica Covile, scored 15 of their 32 points at the free throw line. Covile netted 13 points -- eight of which were consecutive during a 15-6 opening run -- and reached the 1,000-point milestone in the process.
Although the Knights outscored the Owls in the fourth thanks to three straight treys to cap the game, it was too little too late to pull off a comeback.
Fifi Ndour led the Knights with a career night and was joined by solid performances from Joslyn Massey and Aliyah Gregory.
Championship Breakdown
* UCF will meet SMU for the third time this season when the American Athletic Conference Championship tips off at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Friday.
* The Knights split the regular season with the Mustangs as each team won on their home court.
* UCF last met SMU in a conference tournament game in 2013 in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. SMU was the No. 1 seed in that tournament, and UCF, an eight seed, went on to appear in the C-USA title game for the third time in five years.
* The winner of Friday's first round will advance to meet second-seeded USF on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Double Decker
* UCF forwards Joslyn Massey and Fifi Ndour each posted a double-double against Temple, marking the second time this season a pair of Knights have achieved the feat in a game.
* Ndour's second double-double of the year topped her personal bests with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
* Massey posted her team-best fifth double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
* Coincidentally, the last double-double Massey recorded was against Temple in the Jan. 13 game at CFE Arena.In Awe of Aliyah
* Aliyah Gregory finished in double digits (15 points) for the fourth time of the last five games thanks to a 6-of-7 showing from the field.
* The Tampa native, who is UCF's second-leading scorer, has averaged 16.6 points while averaging 50 percent from the field and nearly 60 percent from 3-point range during that stretch.
Story by Jenna Marina