ORLANDO – The UCF women's basketball team returns to Addition Financial Arena for the first time in 2022, hosting Houston on Tuesday evening.
The Knights (10-2, 2-0 The American) are back on their home court for the first time since Dec. 2 and tip against the Cougars (9-5, 2-0 The American) at 6 p.m. ET.
GAME INFO
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 11
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
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GETTING DEFENSIVE
During the Coach Abe era, the Knights have ranked among the best in the country defensively and the 2021-22 season is following the same pattern. UCF is limiting its opponents to 47.7 points per game, which ranks third nationally.
The Black and Gold have held nine opponents below 50 points, with two - Duquesne and Virginia - failing to reach 40 points. They've held eight teams to their season low, including both conference opponents this season. UCF is also limiting opponents to a 34.3 field goal percentage, which ranks 16th in the country.
The Knights average 11.8 steals this season, which ranks 20th in the country, and rank 37th with 20.67 turnovers forced. UCF has forced each opponent this season into double-digit turnovers, with six committing 20+ turnovers.
KNIGHT NOTES
- A pair of Knights average double figures, led by Diamond Battles' 13.7 points per game. Tay Sanders adds 10.4 points per contest.
- Battles, who has nine double-figure scoring games this season, also leads UCF with 3.7 assists per game.
- UCF's duo of Battles and Alisha Lewis rank in the top 50 nationally in steals per game. Lewis (2.8) and Battles (2.7) make UCF one of just two programs with two players in the top 50.
- Masseny Kaba became the 20th Knight in program history to reach 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone in a 54-47 win at Tulane on Jan. 5.
- Destiny Thomas leads UCF and ranks 87th nationally with 8.6 rebounds per game. She has pulled down 11 rebounds in each of UCF's American Athletic Conference contests this season.
- The Knights have appeared among the teams receiving votes in six straight USA Today/WBCA Top 25 polls.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
The Cougars are 9-5 overall and match the Knights with a 2-0 mark in league play. Houston ranks 47th in the country in steals per game (10.4) and 57th in three-point field goal percentage (34.5).
Laila Blair leads Houston with 13.2 points per game and is shooting 38.3 percent from three. Britney Onyeje is the second-leading scorer for the Cougars at 9.1 points per contest and averages 1.8 steals per game. Tatyana Hill pulls down 8.3 rebounds per game. Hill and Fatou Diagne average 1.2 and 1.3 blocks per game, respectively.
The Knights hold a 19-6 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last 10 meetings.
NEXT UP
UCF continues its homestand on Sunday, hosting No. 24 South Florida for the first installment of the War on I-4. The teams tip at 3 p.m. in Addition Financial Arena.
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