MIAMI, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Scoring early and often, the UCF women's basketball team opened the season in the win column in head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson's debut with the Knights. UCF (1-0) cruised to a 69-52 win over FIU on Lime Court at FIU Arena on Friday evening.
"I'm very excited for the team to be able to get their first win on the road," Coach Abe said. "Our defense won this game. In the second and third quarter we held them to 10 and 13 points, respectively. Our defense ignited our offense and we got some good transition plays."
It took just 12 seconds for the Knights to jump on the Panthers as a layup from sophomore Tolulope Omokore gave UCF the first points of the game. After trading buckets for the next five possessions, junior Fifi Ndour put the Black and Gold ahead for good with a layup at the 6:24 mark of the first quarter.
UCF saw its largest lead of the game come on a three-pointer from sophomore Kayla Thigpen with 5:23 remaining in the game. Thigpen pushed the advantage to 24 points, 65-41. The Knights defense pounced on the Panthers, forcing 24 FIU turnovers that they converted into 28 points.
Fifi Ndour led UCF with 14 points, while redshirt senior Joslyn Massey posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Korneila Wright dished out four assists to go along with four steals.
Big On The Boards
• UCF held a 52-15 edge over FIU on the boards, pulling down 30 offensive rebounds in the game.
• The Black and Gold scored 29 second chance points.
• Redshirt senior Joslyn Massey collected all 11 of her boards on the offensive glass.
• All nine Knights who saw game action recorded a rebound.
Coach Abe on the rebounding: "I thought we did a great job of rebounding. When you have 52 rebounds and 30 were offensive, that's huge."
Fearsome Fifi
• Junior Fifi Ndour led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and finished just shy of her career high (16) with 14 for the game.
• The Dakar, Senegal, native knocked down seven shots, matching her career-best.
• Ndour grabbed eight rebounds to go along with a block and a steal in the season opener.
Ndour on her performance in the win: "Our defense played well. We got some steals and easy layups. It's good to see everyone in position on defense and play well. It feels great to start the season with a win. This is really good motivation for us. I feel like it's going to encourage us to be focused for the next game."
Just Wright
• Freshman Korneila "Kay Kay" Wright made her UCF debut early in the game and saw 32 minutes of game action.
• The Orlando native pulled down nine rebounds and scored nine points in her first collegiate game.
• She had four steals to go along with four assists in the win.
The Knights return to Orlando to host South Alabama in the home opener at CFE Arena on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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Don't miss any of the action during Coach Abe's first season with the Knights. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. Adult season tickets are available for $30, and youth tickets (ages 2-17 years) are available for $15.
