ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – Kay Kay Wright showed her game-changing abilities on Friday afternoon, leading the UCF women's basketball team to a hard-fought 67-58 win over St. Mary's in the UCF Holiday Tournament in Addition Financial Arena.
The Knights (6-4) found themselves tied with the Gaels (4-6) at 7-7 in the opening quarter but outscored the visitors 11-2 over the final four and a half minutes. Wright poured in 10 points to give the Black and Gold an 18-9 lead into the second frame St. Mary's flipped the script over the next 10 minutes to go ahead 30-27 at halftime.
Regrouping at the break, UCF opened the third quarter on an 11-0 run and held the Gaels scoreless for nearly five minutes to build a 38-30 advantage with 5:19 left in the stanza. The first double-digit lead of the game came on basket from Masseny Kaba – off a pass from Wright – with 2:36 left in the third quarter. UCF led by a dozen, 51-39, heading into the final 10 minutes.
St. Mary's cut the Black and Gold lead to single digits on a couple occasions in the last quarter, but UCF responded each time to keep the game out of reach.
For the second game in a row, the UCF defense stepped up, forcing St. Mary's into 22 turnovers, which the Knights converted into 22 points.
Kay Kay Wright led all scorers with 30 points with seven assists and four steals. Brittney Smith added 11 points for back-to-back games in double figures and grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds. Masseny Kaba chipped in 10 points to give UCF a trio in double digits.
The Wright Way
- From the opening tip, Kay Kay Wright was on a mission, pouring in a season-high 30 points.
- The Orlando native shot 60 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arc and sank both free throw attempts.
- Wright also dished out a game-high seven assists and collected a game-high four steals.
- The senior guard drained a career-best four three-pointers and finished just one point shy of her career high, which she set at Central Michigan last season.
- For the second game in a row, Wright moved up on the all-time scoring list as her 1,234 career points bumped her into eighth.
- Wright also moved up on the career assists chart, as her seven dimes give her 418, which pushed her into sole possession of second all-time.
More Milestones
- The victory Was the 600th win for the UCF women's basketball program. UCF's inaugural season was 1977-78 and the Knights moved to the Division I level in 1984-85.
- Of the 600 wins, 75 have come under current head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, which is the fourth-most on UCF's all-time coaching records.
NEXT UP
The Knights conclude the UCF Holiday Tournament on Saturday, hosting Wright State at 1:30 p.m.
TICKETS FOR 2019-20
The UCF women's basketball team is in its fourth season under head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Purchase season tickets by clicking here or calling (407) 823-1000.
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