ORLANDO – The second meeting of the season between the UCF and ECU women's basketball teams takes place Wednesday evening.
The Knights (8-2, 6-1 The American) and the Pirates (5-8, 3-5 The American) open doubleheader action in Addition Financial Arena at 5 p.m. and the contest will stream on ESPN+.
GAME INFO
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 27
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+ | Online
Live Stats
Addition Financial Arena A to Z Guide
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DOMINANT DEFENSE
In typical UCF fashion during the Coach ABE era, the Knights are among the best in the country defensively.
This season UCF ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 49.3 points per game, the best mark through the first 10 games under Coach ABE. Six of the Knights' 10 opponents have been held below 50 points, with two (Virginia, Houston) held under 40.
The Black and Gold are also holding their opponents to a 33.1 field goal percentage, which ranks eighth in the country. In each game this season, UCF has forced its opponent into double-digit turnovers, and ranks 37th nationally in turnovers forced (20.30).
KNIGHT NOTES
UCF is 8-2 on the season with a 6-1 record in league play, which puts them second in the league standings. The Knights extended their win streak to three with a road victory at Houston, holding the Cougars well below their 69.1 points per game average in a 50-38 win.
Courtajia Sanders leads the way for the Knights as she averages 11.3 points per game and 2.2 steals per contest for the Black and Gold. Diamond Battles is just behind her, averaging 10.9 points and 2.1 steals per contest. Battles leads the Knights with 4.0 assists per game.
Masseny Kaba paced the Black and Gold at Houston with a season-high 16 points. She leads UCF in rebounding with 5.7 per game and averages 8.7 points per contest. Brittney Smith averages 9.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per contest for the Knights.
SCOUTING ECU
The Pirates are 5-8 overall, with a 3-5 mark in league play.
Lashonda Monk leads the Pirates with 15.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds. While ECU ranks seventh nationally with 151 steals, Monk ranks 11th with 3.27 steals per game and 13th with 36 steals on the season.
Taniyah Thompson and Sierra DaCosta join Monk in double figures, with Thompson averaging 11.7 points and DaCosta averaging 10.4. Dominique Claytor is second on the team with 4.6 boards per game and 2.4 steals per contest.
ECU leads the all-time series, 14-10, but the Knights have won the last six contests. Wednesday marks the second meeting of the season - UCF earned a 58-51 win in Greenville on Jan. 13.
UP NEXT
UCF heads to Wichita for the first meeting of the season against the Shockers. The teams tip at 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 30 in an American Athletic Conference matchup on ESPN+.
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