ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's basketball team heads to Memphis for a matchup against the Tigers on Saturday.
For the first time this season, the Knights will have an 11 a.m. tipoff inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Currently sixth in the league standings, the Knights (13-7, 3-4 The American) look to split the season series against the Tigers (9-11, 2-5 The American).
When the two teams met on Jan. 7, Memphis left Orlando with a 65-62 victory. The Tigers held the edge in the first half, but the Knights responded with a 17-0 run to take the advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The teams traded baskets and possessions and found themselves tied at 62 with under a minute remaining in the game. Memphis sealed the road win from the charity stripe. Zykira Lewis paced UCF with 18 points, while Brea Elmore scored a game-high 25 for the Tigers.
UCF returns to action after posting a 64-44 win over Cincinnati on Jan. 24. For the second time in as many games, junior Aliyah Gregory turned in a 20-point performance, tallying 22 to lead all scorers in CFE Arena. Senior Zykira Lewis added 15 and swiped three steals.
For the last 14 games, it has been either Gregory or Lewis leading the way for the Knights on offense.
Lewis averages 15.0 points per game on the season and 12.1 in league play. Gregory averages 13.9 points per contest on the season and paces UCF with 16.9 point per game in conference play.
The duo have been the leaders on the defensive end as well. Lewis ranks 11th in the nation with a team-leading 63 steals on the season. Gregory ranks fourth in the league with 40 steals on the season.
Redshirt senior Joslyn Massey has come on strong on the boards, averaging 6.1 per game in conference play. The Detroit, Mich., native grabbed six of her nine rebounds on the offensive glass against Cincinnati, and has 70 offensive rebounds on the season. A five-offensive board outing against the Bearcats added to sophomore Tolulope Omokore's team-high. She has 72 on the season. Freshman Korneila Wright leads the team and ranks seventh among conference players with 3.7 assists per game.
The Knights pace the league and rank 11th in the nation in steals (237). UCF is also 16th in the country steals per game (11.9). The Black and Gold rank second the league in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 55.0 points per game, and are fourth in turnover margin.
Memphis enters the weekend contest with a midweek win under its belt. The Tigers posted a 66-65 comeback win over Houston on Wednesday to snap a three-game losing skid.
Three Tigers are averaging double figures, led by Cheyenne Creighton's 15.1 points per game. Brea Elmore (13.0) and Taylor Williams (11.5) also average double digits for Memphis.
Creighton leads Memphis in rebounding (7.9) and blocks (16). She ranks eighth in the league in rebounding and ninth in scoring. Taylor Barnes dishes out 2.6 assists per game.
The Tigers rank third in the league in steals, averaging 9.6 per game.
Memphis extended its lead in the all-time series to 14-10 with the win earlier in January.
Next up, UCF heads to Dallas to face SMU on Feb. 4. The Knights are back in CFE Arena on Feb. 8, hosting Houston.
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