GREENVILLE, N.C. – Another dominant defensive performance helped the UCF women's basketball team rebound from a slow start in a 52-43 win over ECU Saturday afternoon in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
UCF (10-2, 2-0 The American) forced ECU (7-7, 1-0 The American) into a season-high 28 turnovers, which led to 24 points for the Black and Gold. The Knights also limited the Pirates to a season-low 43 points, marking the ninth time UCF has held an opponent below 50 points this season.
The Knights found themselves down early as the Pirates scored the first 11 points of the game. The Pirates held a 13-7 advantage after the first quarter, but UCF closed the period on a 5-0 spurt to build some momentum.
The Knights continued to chip away in the second quarter, outscoring the Pirates 15-8 to take a 22-21 lead into the locker rooms.
The teams traded baskets out of halftime before a 9-2 spurt from ECU put the Pirates in front by seven, 34-27, with 3:24 left in the frame. UCF responded, outscoring the home team 12-2 for the remainder of the period to take a 39-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
A pair of free throws from Diamond Battles extended the UCF lead to five points early the final period, but a pair of ECU baskets pulled the Pirates back within a point with 7:52 remaining. The Black and Gold used a 9-0 run over a two-minute span, capped off with a three-pointer from Alisha Lewis that pushed the UCF lead to double digits, 50-40, with 3:53 remaining. The Knights held ECU to just seven points in the fourth quarter to secure a 2-0 start in league play for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Brittney Smith led UCF with 13 points in just under 20 minutes of action. Diamond Battles added 11 points, dished out five assists and had four steals. Destiny Thomas pulled down 11 rebounds for the second straight contest. Alisha Lewis matched her career high with six steals. Masseny Kaba filled the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, three steals and a season-high three blocks.
UCF returns to Orlando for the first time since Dec. 2 to host a two-game homestand. The Knights welcome Houston to Addition Financial Arena on Jan. 11 at 6 p.m.
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