ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The first of back-to-back American Athletic Conference road contests will take place on Wednesday evening as UCF heads to Houston to take on the Cougars.
Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET in Hofheinz Pavilion and the game can be seen on ESPN3.
The Knights look to get back in the win column when they take on the Cougars. In its last outing, UCF (10-6, 0-3 The American) used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take a lead over Memphis, but was unable to hold off a rally from the Tigers. The Knights dropped a 65-62 decision on Saturday.
The top two Knights on offense this season have been senior Zykira Lewis and junior Aliyah Gregory. Between the two, they have combined to lead UCF in scoring in the last 10 games. Lewis leads the way, averaging 16.2 points per game on the season and 14.7 in league play. The Bartow, Fla., native, who ranks seventh in the nation in steals, has a team-leading 54 on the season.
Gregory is not far behind, averaging 12.5 points per contest on the season and 14.3 in conference play. The Tampa, Fla., native ranks fourth in the league in steals with 34 on the season, and is shooting 42 percent from the field.
Sophomore Tolulope Omokore paces the Knights in rebounding in league play, grabbing an average of 5.7 per contest. She is tied with redshirt senior Joslyn Massey as both have 56 offensive boards on the season. Freshman Korneila Wright, who worked her way into a starting spot, leads the team and ranks seventh among conference players with 3.9 assists per game.
The Knights lead the league and rank sixth in the nation in steals (200). UCF is also 10th in the country steals per game (12.5). The Black and Gold lead the league in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 55.8 points per game, and are third in turnover margin.
Houston enters the matchup with an 8-7 overall record and a 1-1 mark in The American. The Cougars won their league opener at home against Tulsa, 71-66, but dropped an 85-64 decision at Cincinnati on Jan. 7.
A pair of Cougars, Chyanne Butler and Jasmyne Harris, average double figures for Houston this season. Butler averages 10.8 points per game while Harris chips in 10.4. Serithia Hawkins leads Houston on the boards, pulling down 8.0 rebounds per game, and has a team-high 28 steals. Sharayla Brown leads the Cougars with 10 blocks on the season.
The Cougars rank fourth in the league with 9.5 steals per game.
The Knights face a familiar opponent in Houston, as Wednesday's meeting marks the 17th overall meeting. UCF leads the all-time series 10-6. The teams split last year's meetings, with the home team coming away with win in each matchup.
Next up, UCF heads to East Carolina on Jan. 18. The Black and Gold are back in CFE Arena to host Tulsa at 1 p.m. on Jan. 21.
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