ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Despite UCF stepping up its defensive effort by forcing No. 1 UConn into its season-high with 21 turnovers, the Knights were unable to top the Huskies on the scoreboard. UConn came away with an 84-48 victory in the American Athletic Conference opener in CFE Arena on Sunday afternoon.
"That says something about our defense and how we get in the passing lanes," senior Zykira Lewis said of UConn's turnovers. "If we keep on growing from that, it'll help us in our next games."
UConn jumped out to the early 5-0 lead, but junior Aliyah Gregory responded with a jumper to chip away at the Husky advantage. Gregory accounted for 10 of UCF's first 12 points.
After trailing 46-16 at the half, Zykira Lewis sparked a 6-0 UCF run to start the third quarter. The Bartow, Fla., native swiped back-to-back passes, taking one to the basket before finding Gregory on a fast break. The Black and Gold forced nine UConn turnovers in the frame and outscored the Huskies in the paint, 12-10.
The Knights collected 11 steals as a team, and scored 10 fast break points. UCF (10-4, 0-1 The American) converted the 21 UConn turnovers into 15 points.
Aliyah Gregory led the way for the Knights with 18 points. Zykira Lewis scored 15, collected three steals and dished out three assists. Junior Fifi Ndour grabbed a team-high seven rebounds and freshman Korneila Wright swiped a career-best six steals.
UCF continues American Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, heading to Cincinnati for a 7 p.m. contest with the Bearcats. The Knights are back in CFE Arena on Jan. 7, hosting Memphis at 2 p.m.
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