ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – The second installment of the War on I-4 takes place Wednesday evening in Addition Financial Arena. The UCF women's basketball team hosts South Florida at 6 p.m. on Knugget Knight 2.0.
The Knights (15-8, 7-4 The American) and the Bulls (15-10, 7-4 The American) are currently tied with Cincinnati for second place in the league standings.
GAME INFO
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 19
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: UCFKnights.TV2
Promotions: Knugget Knight 2.0 – 1,000 Knugget Bobblehead Giveaway; Live Knugget Meet and Greet
MAKING MOVES
With the regular season beginning to wind down, the race is on for a first-round bye at the 2020 American Athletic Conference Championship.
A four-game win streak has propelled the Knights into a three-way tie with Cincinnati and South Florida for second in the league standings. UCF is in the middle of a three-game stretch against the top three teams, having defeated Cincinnati on Feb. 15. Following the Wednesday game against South Florida, the Knights head to UConn, who holds the top spot in the league.
WAR ON I-4
UCF welcomes South Florida for the second War on I-4 contests against the Bulls this season.
Announced in Sept. 2016, the Knights and Bulls compete in the War on I-4 rivalry series - a yearly scored competition highlighted by the annual Thanksgiving weekend clash between the universities' football teams. The competition features scoring in head-to-head contests between all of the universities' sports teams. Sports that don't compete directly against each other accrue points for best conference post-season performance.
Six points are available for each sport, divided among the amount of meetings. UCF earned the first three points with a 64-57 win over South Florida in Tampa on Jan. 19. Three more points are up for grabs on Wednesday.
UCF holds a 30-9 advantage in the 2019-20 edition of the rivalry series with victories by its volleyball, men's soccer, women's soccer and football teams. South Florida picked up six points at the cross country championship. Men's basketball split their season series, with each side earning three points.
The Knights won their third straight overall War on I-4 trophy with a final tally of 70-14. UCF won the inaugural 2016-17 trophy, 51-33, and the 2017-18 edition 49-35.
KNIGHT NOTES
UCF continues home action while riding a four-game win streak after gutting out a 49-42 win over Cincinnati on Feb. 15. The Knights overcame a slow start and locked down defensively in the second half to earn the series split with the Bearcats.
The Knights are led offensively by Kay Kay Wright who averages 16.5 points per game, 4.2 assists per game and 2.3 steals per game.
The Knights have also seen a sophomore surge from Brittney Smith, who joins Wright as a double-digit scorer for the Black and Gold. Thirteen double-digit performances, including a pair of 20-point games, bumped her to an 11.0 points per game scoring average. The Orlando native is also second in rebounding with 5.2 boards per game.
Masseny Kaba leads the Knights with 6.4 boards per game and has 20 blocks on the season while averaging 8.4 points per game. Sianni Martin is UCF's third-leading scorer with 9.0 points per game.
The Knights rank 29th nationally in turnovers forced at 20.09 per game, having forced 22 of their 23 opponents into 10 or more turnovers. The Knights hold a 3.13 turnover margin which ranks 56th in the nation.
UCF leads The American and ranks 50th nationally with a 74.4 free throw percentage.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
UCF hosts South Florida for the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Bulls are 15-10 overall and are tied for second in the league standings with a 7-4 mark in conference.
A trio of Bulls average double figures, led by Elena Tsineke's 12.4 points per contest. Sydni Harvey averages 11.3 points per contest. Elisa Pinzan averages 10.0 points, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game for South Florida. Bethy Mununga is just shy of averaging a double-double, with 9.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest.
South Florida ranks seventh nationally with a 10.4 rebounding margin and is 13th in offensive rebounds per game at 15.4.
The Bulls hold a 25-9 advantage in the all-time series, but the Knights have won the last three meetings on the hardwood.
NEXT UP
UCF heads to No. 6 Connecticut for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday in Gampel Pavilion. The game will stream on ESPN3.
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