ORLANDO – A pair of double-doubles from Masseny Kaba and Destiny Thomas lifted the UCF women's basketball team to a 64-55 win over Temple on Monday afternoon in Addition Financial Arena.
UCF (15-3, 7-1 AAC) fell behind early as Temple (9-9, 4-3 AAC) outscored the Knights 24-11 in the first quarter.
Finding themselves down by 13 points for the second time in as many home games, the Knights remained calm and chipped away at the Owls' lead. UCF poured in 20 points in the second period and held Temple to just six points, swinging the score in favor of the home team, 31-30, at halftime.
UCF's frontcourt duo of Masseny Kaba and Destiny Thomas combined for 21 of UCF's 31 first half points.
The teams traded baskets in the third quarter, with neither side able to build more than a three-point lead. The Owls held a slim 44-41 edge heading into the final 10 minutes.
Temple pushed its advantage to six, 47-41, with 8:26 remaining, but a 6-0 run on buckets from Ahna Burney, Brittney Smith and Kaba knotted the score at 47. A pair of free throws put the Owls back in front, but the Knights responded with a timely three-pointer from Alisha Lewis to reclaim the lead.
Once Lewis put the Knights in front, UCF built its lead to as many as 11 points and held a 64-55 advantage at the final buzzer.
Masseny Kaba led all scorers with a career-high 21 points, grabbing 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and the fifth of her career. She also had three steals, two assists and tallied her 100th career block.
Destiny Thomas added a career-best 18 points, pulling down 11 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. She also had a game-high three blocks for the Knights.
Monday marked the first time since Dec. 28, 2016 (Tolulope Omokore and Joslyn Massey) that the Knights have had two players record double-doubles in a contest.
Diamond Battles chipped in eight points with three assists and three steals. Alisha Lewis finished with a game-best four assists and two steals.
UCF hosts Memphis on Feb. 5. The Knights will celebrate National Girls and Women In Sports Day at the 2 p.m. contest.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Gameday app right to your iOS or Android phone. The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Click here to download the app now.
