HOUSTON – The UCF women's basketball team came out on top, 50-38, in a defensive battle against Houston in the Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.
UCF (8-2, 6-1 AAC) and Houston (8-5, 4-4 AAC) both got off to a slow start, as the squads combined for 10 points in the opening frame. The Knights opened the second quarter with eight unanswered and shot 50 percent from the field to hold a 20-13 lead at halftime. Masseny Kaba accounted for half of UCF's scoring in the opening half with 10 points at the break.
The Knights opened the third quarter with back-to-back baskets to extend to an 11-point advantage, 24-13, and led 28-20 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Offensively, the fourth quarter was UCF's best as the Knights nearly doubled their point total in the final frame. The Black and Gold poured in 22 points. Houston opened the period with a 5-0 spurt to cut UCF's lead to three, 28-25, and prompting a timeout for UCF. Alisha Lewis responded by hitting back-to-back three-pointers out of the huddle and hit a third to push the Knights in front 40-28. Clutch free throw shooting and timely steals down the stretch secured a ninth-straight victory over the Cougars.
UCF forced Houston into 26 turnovers, which the Knights converted into 21 points. The Black and Gold held the Cougars to a 26.8 shooting from the field. The Knights held Houston to a season-low 38 points, the second time this season that a UCF opponent has been held under 40 points.
Masseny Kaba led UCF with a season-high 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Courtajia Sanders and Alisha Lewis each had nine points. Brittney Smith paced UCF on the boards with eight. Diamond Battles had a game-high five steals and four assists.
UP NEXT
UCF returns to Addition Financial Arena on Jan. 27, hosting ECU. The Knights and Pirates will tip off at 5 p.m. on ESPN+. The teams meet for the second time this season as the Black and Gold earned a 58-51 win in Greenville on Jan. 13.
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