DAVIS, Calif. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's basketball team opened its West Coast trip with a 62-55 win at UC Davis, handing the Aggies their first loss of the season in The Pavilion on Sunday evening.
"This was a really big win," UCF head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. "UC Davis is a really great team; their RPI is 41. I knew we had to come in here really focused and had to step up."
UCF (7-4) jumped out to an 18-10 lead over UC Davis (9-1) after one quarter of action and never looked back. The Knights led by as many as 25 points on a jumper from sophomore Korneila Wright at the 8:31 mark in the third quarter. The Black and Gold withstood a late push from the Aggies to earn their third consecutive win.
Freshman Masseny Kaba led the Knights with a career-best 18 points, while redshirt junior Nyala Shuler pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds. Korneila Wright added 16 points and collected four steals. Senior Aliyah Gregory chipped in 10 points, and redshirt senior Zakiya Saunders dished out six assists.
The defense continued its dominance.
- UC Davis entered Sunday's contest averaging 79.8 points per game.
- The Knights held the Aggies well below their average in the 62-55 victory.
- The Black and Gold forced UC Davis into 13 turnovers and limited the Aggies to a 34.4 field goal percentage in the game.
- The Knights held the edge on the boards, 40-37, and collected eight steals.
The Knights are on their longest winning streak of the season.
- Sunday's victory was UCF's third straight, marking the longest win streak for the Knights this season.
- UCF defeated Georgia Southern, 62-38, on Dec. 10 and collected a 47-32 win at Boston on Dec. 13.
- The last time UCF started a month off with three consecutive victories was in November 2016.
- The Black and Gold defeated FIU (Nov. 11), South Alabama (Nov. 13) and Davidson (Nov. 16) last season.
The forwards came up big.
- UCF's starting forwards turned in career performances to help the Knights earn their seventh win of the season.
- Masseny Kaba scored a career-high 18 points, making nine of her 11 shots from the floor.
- Nyala Shuler pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
- The pair combined for 22 points and 20 rebounds.
The Knights continue their West Coast trip at Pacific on Wednesday. UCF will face the Tigers at 8 p.m. ET.
SEASON TICKETS
The UCF women's basketball team is set for its second season under head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Season tickets are on sale now for $40. Click here or call (407) 823-1000 for ticket information.
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