HOUSTON – A fourth-quarter rally led the UCF women's basketball team to a 54-44 win over Houston in the Fertitta Center on Wednesday evening.
UCF (17-3, 9-1 The American) started off strong, shooting 46.2 percent in the first quarter and led Houston (11-12, 4-7 The American) 15-10 at the end of the opening frame. The Cougars outscored the Knights, 14-4, in the second quarter and took a 24-19 lead into the locker rooms.
Houston opened the third quarter with a jumper to extend its lead to seven, 26-19, before the Knights locked in. The Black and Gold defense held the Cougars to just six points in the third period and a three-pointer from Diamond Battles in the final minute of the frame pulled UCF within one, 30-29.
Battles found Masseny Kaba in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to give UCF the lead, 31-30. The teams traded baskets, and leads, over the next four minutes of action before a Battles three-pointer put the Knights in front for good. UCF poured in 25 points in the final period to pull away from the Cougars and complete the regular season sweep of Houston.
Diamond Battles came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of her game-high 19 points in the final 10 minutes. She was one of three Knights in double figures as Masseny Kaba added 11 points and Alisha Lewis chipped in 10. Kaba had four steals and Destiny Thomas pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Knights had 14 assists on 18 field goals. Kaba, Battles and Lewis finished with three assists each.
Next up, UCF makes the trip west to Tampa for the second round of the War on I-4 against South Florida on Sunday.
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.
