ORLANDO – Head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson returns to her alma mater to lead the UCF women's basketball team in a Saturday evening matchup against No. 14/15 Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Knights (8-1) and Hawkeyes (5-2) tip at 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will stream on the B1G+.
GAME INFO
Date: Saturday, Dec. 18
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: B1G+
Live Stats
HOMECOMING FOR COACH ABE
Coach Abe returns to her alma mater for Saturday's contest. She earned a B.S. in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration from the University of Iowa.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Coach Abe returned to her home state to spend her final two seasons competing for Basketball Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer. Coach Abe was a member of two Big Ten Conference championship teams and played in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
LAST TIME OUT
UCF continued its road stretch with a 68-56 win at Seton Hall to extend its win streak to seven games. Four Knights reached double figures and UCF shot a season-best 50.9 percent from the field in the victory.
Diamond Battles led the way with 22 points while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. She also dished out a season-high six assists. Alisha Lewis added a season-best 15 points, shooting 62.5 percent, to go along with three assists and three steals. Tay Sanders chipped in 12 points with three steals. Masseny Kaba just missed a double-double with a season-best 12 points and nine rebounds.
KNIGHT NOTES
- The Black and Gold defense remains one of the best in the nation as UCF ranks third among Division I teams, limiting opponents to just 45.9 points per game.
- UCF has held seven of its nine opponents below 50 points and six teams to their season low.
- Diamond Battles paces the Knights with 13.9 points per game, having reached double figures in seven of UCF's nine contests. The Winter Haven, Fla., native's 22-point outing at Seton Hall marked her third 20+ contest this season.
- Destiny Thomas has collected double-digit rebounds in four games and leads the Black and Gold with 8.1 boards per game.
- The Knights have appeared among the teams receiving votes in five straight USA Today/WBCA Top 25 polls.
SCOUTING IOWA
The Hawkeyes are 5-2 overall with a 1-0 record in Big Ten action. Iowa is ranked 14th in the AP Top 25 and 15th in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25. The Hawkeyes also lead the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 86.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Caitlin Clark leads Iowa, averaging 22.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. Clark ranks second in the country in assists per game and sixth in points per game and is the only Division I women's basketball player to tally two triple-doubles. Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock average 17.0 and 13.0 points per game for Iowa.
Saturday marks the first meeting between UCF and Iowa.
NEXT UP
UCF closes out 2021 on the road at Princeton on Dec. 29. The Knights and the Tigers tip at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
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