ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - A fourth quarter rally pulled UCF within three points, but was not enough to overcome No. 20/25 Temple on Monday evening. The Knights dropped a 66-60 decision in the American Athletic Conference regular season finale in CFE Arena.
"The start of the game, we didn't come out really attacking," head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. "We've got to be ready to go in the tournament, knowing that we can compete with anybody. In every (conference) game that we've played, we've been in it."
UCF (19-10, 9-7 The American) fell behind 22-8 after one quarter of action. The offense went to work in the second frame, as the Knights outscored Temple (23-6, 13-3 The American), 14-9. The Owls pushed out to their largest lead of the game, 53-38, with five ticks left on the clock in the third quarter.
Facing a 15-point deficit entering the final 10 minutes of play, the Knights remained focused, chipping away at the Owl edge. Junior Fifi Ndour pulled UCF within single digits, 55-47, with 6:28 left to play.
Temple pushed its advantage back to 11 points, 58-47, but an 8-0 run from the Knights, capped off by a pair of free throws from Ndour, pulled UCF within three, 58-55. The Owls converted key free throws down the stretch to secure the 66-60 victory.
Junior Aliyah Gregory led the Knights with 19 points, adding three assists and a pair of steals. Fifi Ndour chipped in 13 points, grabbing five rebounds. Senior Zykira Lewis hit a pair of three-pointers en route to 10 points. Redshirt senior Joslyn Massey nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 11 rebounds and nine points.
Next up, UCF begins play in the 2017 Frontier Communications American Athletic Conference tournament. The fourth seeded Knights will take on No. 5 Tulane in a noon contest on ESPN3.
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