Jan. 7, 2016
UCF WBB vs East Carolina (1-7-16) - Images by UCF Knights
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) -- Heading into the fourth quarter against East Carolina, the UCF women's basketball team trailed by just three points and was poised to make a comeback in the back and forth game.
But the Pirates (7-9, 1-3) managed to outscore the Knights, 19-7, in the final 10 minutes to steal a 71-56 win at CFE Arena on Thursday.
Related: Box Score 
| Box Score
UCF sophomore Aliyah Gregory led her team with 14 points and a career-high nine rebounds while junior Makenzi Reasor nearly had a double-double as well with 8 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Knights (3-11, 0-3) led at the conclusion of the first quarter, 19-16, but UCF eventually gave up 24 points off its turnovers, which proved to be too costly to overcome.
Bench Boost
? UCF's depth was a major help to the Knights. The bench accounted for 21 points in the game.
? Freshman Kayla Thigpen led the way with 11 points, her fifth double digit game of the year and first in conference play.
? Freshman Tolulope Omokore netted her first career basket in the first quarter and finished with 5 points.
One Shining Moment
? Junior Zykira Lewis was honored prior to tipoff for reaching the 1,000-point milestone this season.
? The Bartow, Fla., native, who now ranks among the program's top 10 career scorers, was presented with a special commemorative basketball by head coach Joi Williams.
? Although she tally her usual numbers against the Pirates (2 points), she did grab eight rebounds.
Up Next
? The Knights travel to Tulane for a 5 p.m. tipoff Sunday for its first game out of the state of Florida since Dec. 5.
? Tulane leads the series, 10-6.
? UCF won its last conference title over defending champion Tulane in the 2011 Conference USA final.
Story by Jenna Marina; Photos by Brad Helton and Simone Amaduzzi