ORLANDO – The UCF women's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, making the trip to Kansas to face Wichita State on Saturday in Charles Koch Arena.
The Knights (13-3, 5-1 The American) and Shockers (11-7, 2-3 The American) tip at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
GAME INFO
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
UCF's captain trio of Masseny Kaba, Tay Sanders and Diamond Battles stepped up for the Knights in the comeback win over Tulane on Jan. 26.
The Black and Gold jumped out to a 5-0 start against the Green Wave, but quickly found themselves down by 13 points, 22-9, at the end of the first quarter. Kaba started the comeback spark in the second period, scoring nine of UCF's 20 points in the frame. Sanders scored 10 points to lead the Black and Gold in the first half. Battles poured in nine points of her own, including a 6-0 run by herself in the final 1:23 of the third period to pull UCF within three, 51-48. The trio opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run to reclaim the lead for the Knights.
They combined for 57 of UCF's 69 points, shooting 63.2 percent (24-38) from the field. Battles led the way with 21 points. Sanders added 19 points and Kaba chipped in a season-high 17 points.
KNIGHT NOTES
- The Knights rank fifth in the nation, holding opponents to 50.6 points per game. UCF averages 11.6 steals this season, which ranks 16th in the country, and rank 38th with 20.20 turnovers forced. The Black and Gold have forced each opponent this season into double-digit turnovers, with seven committing 20+ turnovers.
- Diamond Battles paces the Knights with 14.3 points per game, having reached double figures in 12 contests this season. The Winter Haven, Fla., native is coming off back-to-back 21-point games and is one of four league players with five or more 20-point contests this season.
- Tay Sanders garnered the first American Athletic Conference Player of the Week accolade of her career after averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field in the wins over Houston and South Florida. She is UCF's second-leading scorer on the season, averaging 11.7 points per game.
- Alisha Lewis, who tied The American and UCF single game records with 10 steals against Houston, ranks eighth in the country in steals per game, averaging 3.12. Her 50 steals ranks 21st among Division I student-athletes.
- Destiny Thomas leads UCF and ranks 116th nationally with 8.1 rebounds per game. She is one of six league players with six or more games with 10+ rebounds this season.
- The Knights, who have appeared among the teams receiving votes in 11 straight USA Today/WBCA Top 25 polls so far, made their season debut on the receiving votes list of the AP Top 25 on Jan. 17.
SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
The Shockers are 11-7 overall, with a 2-3 mark in league play. Wichita State holds a 7-3 record in Charles Koch Arena this season.
A pair of Shockers average double figures, led by Mariah McCully's 12.7 points and 2.2 steals per game. Jane Asinde leads Wichita State with 8.9 rebounds per game and adds 10.5 points per game. Seraphine Bastin averages 3.9 assists per game. Trajata Colbert averages 1.3 blocks per game.
The Knights lead the all-time series 4-0, but have not faced the Shockers since the 2019-20 campaign.
NEXT UP
UCF has a quick turnaround, returning to Orlando to host Temple on Monday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. in Addition Financial Arena.
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