ORLANDO – The UCF women's basketball team will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Saturday as the Knights host Memphis in an American Athletic Conference matchup in Addition Financial Arena.
As part of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day, UCF Athletics is set to host a free children's sports clinic featuring numerous UCF coaches and student-athletes on Saturday, Feb. 5. Doors open at 12:15 p.m. ET and the event will run from 12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. ET. The clinic is open to children in eighth grade or below and will take place at The Venue at UCF, located directly to the north of Addition Financial Arena. All participants in the children's clinic will receive a UCF t-shirt (while supplies last) and free admission to the women's basketball game. Adults gain access with purchase of ticket to the game immediately following the clinic. - click here to buy. Click here to RSVP for the clinic.
The game between the Knights (15-3, 7-1 The American) and the Tigers (13-6, 4-4 The American) will stream live on ESPN+.
GAME INFO
Date: Saturday, Feb. 5
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats
Purchase Tickets
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUO
A pair of double-doubles from Masseny Kaba and Destiny Thomas lifted the Knights to a 64-55 win over Temple on Jan. 31. The frontcourt duo combined for 21 of UCF's 31 first half points.
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. 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.
The pair became the first UCF duo since Tolulope Omokore and Joslyn Massey to record two double-doubles in one game. Omokore and Massey achieved the accomplishment on Dec. 28, 2016 against UC Davis.
KNIGHT NOTES
- The Knights rank third in the nation, limiting opponents to 50.8 points per game. UCF is also 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 35.0 field goal percentage.
- UCF averages 11.4 steals this season, which ranks 16th in the country, and is 38th with 19.72 turnovers forced. The Black and Gold have forced each opponent this season into double-digit turnovers, with eight committing 20+ turnovers.
- Diamond Battles paces the Knights with 13.9 points per game, having reached double figures in 13 contests this season. The Winter Haven, Fla., native is one of four league players with five or more 20-point contests this season and earned the first American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honor of her career on Monday.
- Tay Sanders garnered her first AAC Player of the Week accolade 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 11.2 points per game.
- Alisha Lewis, who tied The American and UCF single game records with 10 steals against Houston, ranks 14th in the country in steals per game, averaging 2.89. Her 52 steals ranks 32nd among Division I student-athletes.
- Destiny Thomas leads UCF and ranks 99th nationally with 8.2 rebounds per game. She is one of six league players with seven or more games with 10+ rebounds this season.
- The Knights, who have appeared among the teams receiving votes in 12 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 MEMPHIS
The Tigers bring a 13-6 record to Orlando. Memphis is 4-4 in league play and have won three of its last four contests.
Jamirah Shutes paces the Tigers with 12.2 points per game. Emani Jefferson is just outside of double figures, averaging 9.5 PPG with 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Tyler Frierson grabs 5.7 rebounds per game while Lanetta Williams averages 1.1 blocks per game.
The Tigers lead the all-time series 16-15 but the Knights have won five in a row over Memphis.
NEXT UP
UCF hits the road for a two-game swing, heading to Houston on Feb. 9 and before making the trip west to Tampa for the second round of the War on I-4 against South Florida.
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.