FORT WORTH, Texas – Despite leading late in the fourth quarter on the road, UCF women's basketball was unable to hold off the TCU Horned Frogs down the stretch and fell in a late-game heartbreaker, 66-60, Tuesday night in Schollmaier Arena.
Kaitlin Peterson continued to be a positive note for this UCF team, as she scored 22 points on the night, as well as compiling five rebounds and four steals. Mya Burns added 17 points of her own and led the team with eight rebounds in the contest. UCF (9-8, 0-7) outrebounded TCU (15-4, 2-4), 34-28.
UCF won the tip, and Peterson wasted no time making an impact with a steal, swiftly followed by the first basket of the game and an impressive and-one play. Meanwhile, TCU came out firing, going 5-7 from beyond the arc to set the tone for a high-scoring quarter (27).
The Knights tightened their defense, limiting the Horned Frogs to just six points. UCF's offense, led by standout plays, amassed 16 points. A late push from the Knights resulted in an electrifying 8-0 run, narrowing the halftime gap to just two points, with TCU leading 33-31.
After a promising finish to the first half, the Black and Gold found themselves down by nine halfway through the third quarter, 46-37. The Knights and Horned Frogs exchanged missed shots until UCF went on a 10-0 tear, clawing back to take their first lead of the game, 47-46. TCU, aided by three made free throws, quickly regained the lead to round out the quarter up by one, 51-50.
Personal fouls piled up to start the fourth quarter of the contest for the Horned Frogs. The Knights cashed in on free throw attempts, going six-for-six at the line, quickly gaining a five-point edge. As the quarter continued a back-and-forth battle ensued, with both teams completing at either end of the court until TCU eventually knotted the game up 60-60. Complete with a pair of steals, the Horned Frogs kept the momentum going in their direction, scoring the last six points of the game, defeating the Black and Gold by a score of 66-60.
UCF will be back in action for its annual space game on Saturday, Jan. 27 against Houston. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Addition Financial Arena.