ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's basketball team hits the road for the final time in nonconference action. The Knights head to Georgia Southern for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.
UCF hits the hardwood after a week away from action. In their last outing, the Knights topped Gardner-Webb for their eighth victory of the season, topping the total win count from last season. Zykira Lewis turned in a 20-point performance, her third of the season, and added a game-high six steals and five assists.
At 8-2, the Knights are off to their best start since the 1984-85 season when they went 9-1 over the first 10 games.
Nyala Shuler and Tolulope Omokore each grabbed nine boards to lead the UCF rebounding effort. Korneila Wright joined Lewis by dishing out five assists, and Kayla Thomas scored the first basket of her collegiate career on a pass from Lewis.
Zykira Lewis leads the Black and Gold, averaging 16.1 points per game and needs just four three-pointers to set the UCF career record. The Bartow, Fla., native is shooting 44.7 percent from the floor and has a team-leading 19 three-point baskets. Lewis ranks fifth in the nation in steals with 38 on the season.
Junior Aliyah Gregory joins Lewis in the national rankings as her 24 steals are No. 64 in the country. Joslyn Massey, who leads the team with 74 rebounds, ranks 15th in the nation with 4.56 offensive rebounds per game. Korneila Wright has a team-high 30 assists and averages 28.4 minutes per game.
The Knights rank fifth in the nation in steals per game, averaging 13.7. With their opponents averaging just 50.8 points per game, the Black and Gold scoring defense ranks sixth in the country, along with their 137 steals. UCF has outrebounded nine opponents this season, with its 12.4 rebounding margin ranking 11th nationally.
Georgia Southern stands at 3-6 overall this season. The Eagles won their first two games of the season before dropping their next five.
The Eagles are led by Patrice Butler, who averages 14.3 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Butler also has a team-high seven blocks and leads the Eagles with 15 made three-pointers this season. She also has 10 steals. Angel McGowan averages 14.0 points per game and a team-high 29.9 minutes per game. Sierra Butler is Georgia Southern's top rebounder, grabbing 6.6 per game. Alexis Brown and Amira Atwater have 12 and 11 steals, respectively.
UCF faces Georgia Southern for the first time since the 2006-07 campaign. The squads are former New South Women's Athletic Conference foes, meeting twice a year from 1986-90. Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 12-4, including a 6-0 mark in Statesboro.
UCF returns to CFE Arena on Dec. 20 to host Omaha at 2 p.m. and closes nonconference play on Dec. 28 when UC Davis comes to town for a 7 p.m. contest.
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