ORLANDO- A strong start and three Knights scoring in double digits led to a dominant 82-53 victory for the UCF women’s basketball team Tuesday afternoon.
UCF (4-0) started the morning game with a layup from Kaitlin Peterson to open up the first quarter. A pair of three-pointers by Summer Yancy in the first few minutes of the game helped the freshman earn eight of the 18 points in the first ten minutes. The Knights' defense shined, holding North Florida (1-4) to a scoring drought for just over six minutes, while the Knights notched 12 consecutive points. The Black and Gold ended the first with a 10-point lead, 18-8.
The Black and Gold began the second continuing to put pressure on North Florida, going on an early scoring run to open the quarter. Peterson led the offense in the second frame with 10 points and recorded two offensive rebounds. The Knights bested the Ospreys in several categories in the quarter including 24 points compared to North Florida’s 15, and rebounds, securing 11 to North Florida’s 5.
UCF continued to hold off North Florida’s offense, only giving up eight points, matching the points allowed in the first. The Black and Gold looked strong on the defensive side as well, notching eight defensive rebounds and forcing five turnovers. Khyala Ngodu led the scoring in the third with five points, allowing the Knights to stretch their lead by 19. The Black and Gold stayed dominant on both sides of the court, going on a 13-0 run for the last five minutes of the quarter, 61-31.
Yancy opened up the final frame with back-to-back layups in the first two minutes, before scoring six points in the quarter. The Knights slowed down allowing the Ospreys to pick up 15 points. Hannah Gusters revived the offense with a layup and a jumper off the rebound. The re-ignition of the offense continued as Peterson tallied her 23rd point of the day. The Black and Gold’s efforts paid off as they took the game 82-53.
In addition to Peterson’s 23-point performance, two other Knights recorded double-digits on the day. Yancy totaled 14 points, matching her career high. Gusters also notched 14 points and 11 rebounds, recording her second double-double at UCF.
The Knights return to Addition Financial Arena Friday, November 22 to take on SIUE, tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.