LAWRENCE, Kansas – The UCF women’s basketball team came up short against Kansas Wednesday night in Allen Fieldhouse, 63-58.
UCF (9-16, 2-13 Big 12) fought hard until the end outrebounding Kansas (15-11, 5-10) 40-35 as the Jayhawks executed at the free throw line (25-28).
Kansas got off to a quick 5-0 start but Nevaeh Brown stopped the Jayhawks’ run with a three-pointer. As a scoring drought ensued between both teams, the Knights were able to break it open going on an 8-0 scoring spurt with Emely Rodriguez lighting it up with a jumper to take the lead and a three-pointer. The Jayhawks chipped away at the Knights’ lead but another 6-0 run helped the Black and Gold ensure they had the lead at the end of the quarter, 17-11. Rodriguez tallied nine points, going 4-5 from the field as she earned her first start since her injury against Oklahoma State.
Rodriguez continued to stay hot despite the cold weather outside, opening up the second quarter with a three. The Knights were kept at bay while Kansas put together a 7-0 spurt and eventually took the lead following two made free throws, 27-26. UCF and Kansas continued to trade points back and forth and ended the second quarter tied at 31.
Both teams remained scoreless for the first three minutes of play, a three-pointer from Kansas allowed it to take the lead. Kaitlin Peterson knotted the game up at 34 as both teams began trading points back and forth. Big threes from Ally Stedman and Adeang Ring gave the Knights a 6-0 run. UCF ended the third quarter with a one-point edge over Kansas, 47-46.
With five lead changes and the score tied four times, the fourth quarter kept fans on edge. With the game tied at 56, Kansas burned one of its timeouts. With just 1:41 left in the game, the Jayhawks put up a layup to take the lead, but Khyala Ngodu answered back to knot the game at 58. Kansas went on to score five points, three of them from the charity stripe to secure the 63-58 win.
Rodriguez ended the night with 14 points along with eight rebounds. Peterson and Ngodu each tallied 11 points apiece. Peterson dished out five assists while Ngodu notched nine rebounds. Adeang Ring shot an impressive 3-4 from the field, adding in seven points.
The Knights wrap up their home schedule with two games as they host Texas Tech (2/22) and Iowa State (2/25).