CINCINNATI, Ohio (UCFKnights.com) - A furious fourth quarter rally came up short for UCF as the Knights dropped a 63-57 decision to Cincinnati in Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday evening.
The Knights (10-5, 0-2 The American) closed the game on a 16-6 run over the final seven minutes of game action, but the Bearcats made clutch free throws down the stretch to hold off the comeback.
The teams ended the first quarter tied 12-12, but Cincinnati took a 30-25 advantage into the locker rooms at halftime.
Senior Zykira Lewis tied Susan Patz (1982-86) for second on the all-time scoring list in the third quarter of the game. A free throw at the 3:06 mark gave the Bartow, Fla., native 1,587 career points. She claimed sole possession of second early in the fourth quarter, as she went end-to-end for a layup. Lewis now has 1,597 points during her tenure as a Knight.
After seeing Cincinnati (10-5, 1-1 The American) push out to its largest lead - 16 points - at the 7:05 mark of the fourth quarter, the Black and Gold began to rally. A three-pointer from Lewis was followed by a fast break layup from the senior. The Knights cut the lead to single digits, 59-50, on a layup from junior Aliyah Gregory with 3:45 left to play.
UCF continued to chip away, and came within two points, 59-57, on a jumper from Gregory with 37 seconds left on the clock.
For the third time in the last four games, Aliyah Gregory led the Knights in scoring. The Tampa, Fla., native had 15 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Zykira Lewis scored all 11 points in the second half while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Sophomore Tolulope Omokore was just shy of a double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
UCF returns to CFE Arena for an American Athletic Conference matchup with Memphis. The Knights and Tigers are slated for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.
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