ORLANDO - The Knights will host Houston for their annual space game on Saturday, Jan. 27. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. inside Addition Financial Arena.
The Rundown
• This contest will mark the 29th meeting between the teams and the first as Big 12 conference opponents, with the Knights holding a 21-7 edge in the all-time series.
• The Knights and Cougars joined the Big 12 conference July 1, 2023 as both teams came from the American Athletic Conference.
• Houston’s bench produces an average of 28.2 points per game whereas the Knights average 13.1.
• UCF holds the upper hand with a 75.2 free-throw percentage while the Cougars are 71.2 from the charity stripe.
• Houston is ninth in the NCAA averaging 12.4 steals per game, whereas the Black and Gold average 7.4.
Scouting Houston
• Houston heads into the matchup with an 11-8 record and is 2-6 in the Big 12, losing its last three games.
• Head Coach Ronald Hughey is in his 10th season at Houston, spending all of his head coaching years with the program.
• The Cougars have two players averaging double digits in scoring, as Laila Blair leads the team with 15.9 points per game and N’Yah Boyd adds 10.3.
• Blair is first in the Big 12 with an 87.0 free-throw percentage, going 60-69 from the line.
• As a team, the Cougars are No. 2 in the Big 12 and 7th in the NCAA for turnovers forced per game (22.89).
A Win Would…
• Give the Knights their first win in Big 12 conference play
• Improve their record to 10-8
• Give UCF its 22nd win over Houston
• Give Sytia Messer her 24th win at UCF
• Be better than a loss
SpaceU
• This will be the second year of the Space Game for women’s basketball.
• The game recognizes the University of Central Florida’s roots, founded as Florida
Technological University in 1963 with the mission of providing personnel to support the growing U.S. space program at the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. As the academic scope expanded beyond its original focus on engineering and technology, the school was renamed the University of Central Florida in 1978.
• UCF is No. 1 nationally for placing graduates in aerospace industry jobs.
• In 1968, UCF established its motto: “Reach for the Stars” to represent the University’s promising aerospace education in engineering, electronics and other technological professions.
• 29% of Kennedy Space Center employees are UCF Alumni.
• The 50-yard line of FBC Mortgage Stadium is on the exact latitude as Launch Complex 39A, NASA’s most historic launch pad, 31 miles to the east.
Rising to the Top
• Junior Kaitlin Peterson is having a stellar debut season for the Knights, as she is first in the Big 12 with 21.2 points per game.
• The Eufaula, Alabama, native tallied 32 points against Baylor to mark her fourth game this season with 30 or more points, which leads the Big 12.
• In UCF’s seven conference games, Peterson is averaging 23.6 points per game to lead the league. She set a career high with 35 points at Cincinnati on Jan. 10.
• Kaitlin Peterson set yet another career-high in scoring with 35 points at Cincinnati (1/10).
• Peterson started her UCF career with 31 points in the Knights’ 101-63 victory against Bethune-Cookman, which was a career high at the time. She was 6-10 from beyond the arc and 12-19 from the field, adding in one free throw.
• She’s scored double digits in 16 of UCF’s 17 games this season and has reached 20 points on nine occasions.
50 = Magic Number
• The Black and Gold are 4-0 when limiting their opponent to 50 points or less.
• From Nov. 24 through Dec. 19, the Knights held five of their seven opponents to less than 50 points.
• UCF held Campbell (12/3) and Morgan State (12/19) to just 41 points marking the lowest points against an opponent this season.
Déjà Vu
• Kaitlin Peterson recorded back-to-back 20-plus point games on Jan. 3 and 6, tallying 22 points in both games against Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
• Peterson’s achievement marked the first time a UCF player has recorded consecutive 20-point games since the 2021-22 season when Diamond Battles scored 21 points in back-to-back games on Jan. 22 and 26.
Back in the Big 12
• Sytia Messer and Mike Carey have spent a significant portion of their coaching career in the Big 12.
• Coach Messer spent seven years in Waco as an assistant coach at Baylor and Carey is a veteran in the Big 12, where he was head coach at West Virginia for 21 years, spending 10 of those in the Big 12.
• The Knights are the only coaching staff in the Big 12 to have a previous head coach and assistant coach with Big 12 experience.
New Year, New Addition
• The Knights received a late present with the addition of transfer Femi Funeus on Jan. 9.
• Funeus, a 6-2 forward, has competed in 58 games, spending three years at Seton Hall and one year at Southern Mississippi.
• A native of Plantation, Florida, Funeus was tabbed to the Big East All-Academic team all three years at Seton Hall.
• Out of high school, she was one of the top-ranked players in the state of Florida.
20-plus Margin
• The Knights are 4-0 when they score 20-plus points against their opponent.
• UCF led off the season by outscoring Bethune-Cookman 101-62, a 39-point differential.
Spreading the Wealth
• UCF is 8-1 when it records more assists than its opponent.
• Eight Knights have led UCF in assists with at least one game this season.
• Laila Jewett has led the team in assists throughout 10 games this season and ranks 17th in the Big 12 with 3.4 assists per game.
• The Black and Gold average 11.8 assists per game.