ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF women's basketball team closed out November play the same way it opened it - in the win column. The Knights topped Austin Peay, 61-43, in the UCF Thanksgiving Classic at CFE Arena on Sunday afternoon.
A jumper from sophomore Tolulope Omokore gave the Knights the first basket of the game, and it was all Black and Gold from there. UCF (6-1) extended out to a 12-0 lead over the Governors, narrowly missed a first quarter shutout as Austin Peay sank a shot at the buzzer for its first points of the contest. The Knights held a double-digit advantage for the final three quarters, going up by as many as 19 points, 49-30, on a layup from junior Fifi Ndour.
"It was really cool to see (the team) come out with a lot of energy," head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. "I really stressed the first quarter, because we typically don't come out the first quarter and have a lot of gumption. I don't know who got them fired up, but it could have been (Omokore)."
Following its usual patter, the UCF defense stepped up, holding Austin Peay to just 43 points on a 33.3 field goal percentage. The Knights gave up just two three-pointers, keeping the Governors to a 16.7 three-point field goal percentage in the contest.
Senior Zykira Lewis led all scorers with 19 points, finishing with five steals. Tolulope Omokore posted the first double-double of her sophomore campaign, scoring a season-high 12 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Junior Aliyah Gregory and Fifi Ndour rounded out the Knights in double figures, scoring 11 and 10, respectively.
Get Like Lu
* Sophomore Tolulope Omokore finished the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, her first double-double this season.
* The Greenbelt, Md., native posted her third career double-double, but Sunday's marked the first in non-conference action for Omokore.
* The forward, who is the only Knight to start in all seven contests this season, collected eight boards on the offensive glass.
Trend Setters
* UCF has outrebounded all seven of its opponents this season, this time holding a 44-32 edge on the glass.
* The Knights scored 12 second chance points, while putting up 34 in the paint.
* Entering the weekend ranked seventh in the nation in steals, UCF collected 11 in Sunday's win, scoring 18 points off of turnovers.
The Knights open December on the road, heading to Buffalo on Dec. 1. The squads are set for a 7 p.m. meeting. UCF is back at CFE Arena on Dec. 4, hosting Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m.
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