Knights Set for St. Pete

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women’s basketball team heads to the west side of the state for a pair of games at the St. Pete Shootout, hosted by Eckerd College.  

The Knights (9-1) open the weekend against Liberty (2-8) at 5 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 7:30 p.m. matchup against No. 14/15 Syracuse on Saturday.

Knight Notes

• UCF is off to its best start since 1984-85 at 9-1 and take a six-game win streak into the weekend.
• The Knights are receiving votes in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 for a program-best sixth straight week.
• The Black and Gold climbed up to No. 14 in the NCAA RPI through games on Dec. 19.
• Kay Kay Wright has scored in double figures in all nine games, has three 20-point and a 30-point performance this season and is UCF’s leading scorer with 19.7 points per game.
• The Orlando native set a UCF single game record and tied the American Athletic Conference single game mark with 16 made free throws against Pacific on Dec. 17.
• UCF’s leading rebounder is Nyala Shuler with 7.6 boards per contest. She moved into fifth all-time in career rebounds this season with 696 and counting.
• Shuler became the first Knight this season with a double-double, pulling down a season-best 14 rebounds to go along with 10 points in the win at Duquesne.

Going Streaking

• UCF extended its win streak to six games – its longest streak since the 2016-17 campaign.
• The Knights improved to 4-0 in CFE Arena and closed out the home portion of the non-conference slate undefeated on their home floor.
• The Black and Gold’s 9-1 record officially matches the best start to a season as a Division I program. The 1984-85 squad also started 9-1.

Scouting the Opponents

• UCF will meet each of its opponents for the second time in program history. The Knights are 1-0 against Liberty and 0-1 against Syracuse.
• The Flames are 2-8 on the campaign. UCF and Liberty have not faced each other since 1991, when the Knights came away victorious in Orlando.
• Emily Lytle paces Liberty with 14.6 PPG while Bridgette Rettstatt averages 7.6 RPG. Ashtyn Baker has a team-high 19 steals and Ria Gulley leads Liberty with 24 assists.
• No. 14/15 Syracuse is 9-2 this season. The squads will meet for the first time since 1997 when the Orange collected a 104- 66 win over the Knights in Orlando.
• Tiana Mangakahia leads a trio of players averaging double figures at 15.0 PPG and has a team-leading 84 assists and 25 steals. Maeva Djald-Tabdi grabs 5.7 RPG and paces the Orange with 19 blocks on the season.

Next up, UCF hits the road to face Quinnipiac on Dec. 30.

TICKETS FOR 2018-19    
The UCF women's basketball team is set for its third season under head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Purchase season tickets by clicking here or calling (407) 823-1000.    

GET THE APP 
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.