ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Returning to action after the holiday break, the UCF women's basketball team closes the nonconference schedule on Wednesday, hosting UC Davis in a 7 p.m. contest in CFE Arena.
The Knights are 10-2 overall this season and are on their longest win streak of the 2016-17 campaign, having won their last four contests. UCF sits in third in the American Athletic Conference standings.
UCF has matched the program's best start since the 1984-85 season when the program also went 10-2 over the first 12 games.
On their last outing, the Knights posted an 81-41 win over Omaha, marking the largest margin of victory this season. Junior Aliyah Gregory tied her season-best by leading UCF with 18 points and dishing out a season-high seven assists. Junior Fifi Ndour posted her first double-double of the 2016-17 campaign, scoring 15 points while pulling down 10 rebounds in the win.
Senior Zykira Lewis leads the Black and Gold, averaging 16.1 points per game and ranks fourth in the nation with 45 steals. The Bartow, Fla., native is shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and has a team-leading 25 three-point baskets.
Junior Aliyah Gregory averages 11.3 points per contest and ranks 49th in the country in steals per game (2.7). Redshirt senior Joslyn Massey, who leads the team with 85 rebounds, ranks 22nd in the nation with 4.1 offensive rebounds per game. A career-best eight assists at Georgia Southern helped freshman Korneila Wright to a team-leading 43, and averages team-high 29.5 minutes per game.
The Knights rank fourth in the nation in steals (166) and steals per game (13.8). With their opponents averaging just 50.3 points per game, the Black and Gold scoring defense ranks sixth in the country. UCF has outrebounded 11 opponents this season, with its 12.7 rebounding margin ranking ninth nationally.
UC Davis brings an 8-3 record to CFE Arena. The Aggies have won their last two contests and sit atop the Big West standings.
The Aggies are led by Morgan Bertsch, who averages 17.5 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per contest. She also has a team-leading 23 blocks and is shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. Kourtney Eaton dishes out an average of 3.9 assists per game and has a team-high 13 steals on the season. Dani Nafekh ranks 16th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (48.1) and leads the Aggies with 25 shots made beyond the arc this season.
Wednesday marks the first-ever meeting between UCF and UC Davis.
UCF opens American Athletic Conference action on Sunday, hosting No. 1 UConn for a 1 p.m. matchup in CFE Arena.
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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.
