MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF women's basketball team fell short against Memphis, 65-59, in an American Athletic Conference matchup inside Elma Roane Fieldhouse on Saturday morning.
UCF (13-8, 3-5 The American) got off to a bit of a slow start, falling behind 7-2 in the opening four minutes of action. Senior Zykira Lewis provided a spark for the Knights off the bench, starting a 7-2 run with a steal and a layup. Lewis capped off the run with her first of six three-pointers in the game. Memphis hit a shot beyond the arc with three ticks left in the first quarter to hold a 14-13 advantage.
The Black and Gold found themselves down 18-15 at the 7:01 mark, but Lewis provided another spark, hitting a triple to even the score at 18. Good ball movement led to a jumper for freshman Korneila Wright to put the Knights ahead 20-18, and Lewis extended the lead to 23-18 with a three-pointer. Sophomore Tolulope Omokore gave UCF its largest advantage of the game, 30-21, with a bucket under the basket with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter.
The Knights shot 52.2 percent from the field in the first half to take a 30-23 lead into the locker room.
Memphis (10-11, 3-5 The American) scored seven unanswered points to open the third quarter and tie the game at 30. The home team took a 35-34 lead at the 4:56 mark in the third quarter and maintained control for the remainder of the contest.
Zykira Lewis led all scorers with 26 points, tying her season high. She hit a season-best six three-pointers and swiped four steals. Junior Aliyah Gregory added 13 points for the Knights. Redshirt senior Joslyn Massey posted her fourth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Korneila Wright dished out a career-best 10 assists.
Next up, UCF heads to Dallas to take on SMU on Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. ET. The Knights are back in CFE Arena on Feb. 8, hosting Houston at 7 p.m.
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