HOW IT HAPPENED
Scoring was hard to come by for both sides in the early stages of the Friday tilt, as two three-pointers from each team headlined the opening scoring drought. Rice eventually found its stride first, opening up a 7-0 scoring run and a six-point lead heading into the first media timeout.
The Knights responded, however, with their defense stepping up to hold the Owls one for their last seven from the field to conclude the period, leaving room for the offense to tally a pair of layups to leave their deficit at just two.
Down 12-10 to commence second-quarter action, the Black and Gold charged out of the gates, connecting on six of their first nine attempts in the first six minutes, all while holding Rice to a chilly 0-11 in the stretch. The 15-2 run put the Knights up by nine with just under four minutes left, and while their opponents responded with a 6-1 run to end the half, UCF still led 26-22 at the break.
A balanced scoresheet was led by familiar faces in Harom (eight) and Ngodu (six), while the latter and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts made their presence known in the paint with four boards apiece.
Out of the half, both teams were firing offensively, a stark contrast to the low-scoring first 20 minutes. Rice, who took 10 more shots in the third quarter, capitalized on its rebounding efforts to tally multiple second-chance points.
Still, the Black and Gold maintained their advantage, in large part to their composure at the charity stripe, connecting on nine of 10 free throw attempts to sustain their four-point advantage heading into the fourth. Harmon was the main beneficiary, using her shiftiness to draw four fouls in the quarter and, in turn, surpassing her career high with her 20th point.
A staggered commencement to the fourth quarter saw just 15 points between the sides in the first seven minutes. UCF’s turnovers proved costly, with Rice scoring four off the Knights’ mistakes to take its first lead since the second quarter.
Ngodu broke double digits for the third consecutive contest to open the game’s final 10 minutes, later adding another layup to keep the Knights’ lead at four. Clutch Harmon buckets down the home stretch combated Rice’s growing offensive rhythm.
The Owls' persistence led to them eventually cutting the lead down to one with 13 seconds on the clock, before later getting the game’s final attempt after another costly UCF turnover. Inbounding the ball with six seconds left, the Knights dug in and blocked off any potential game-winner to secure the dramatic victory and jump back into the win column.
UP NEXT
UCF will return home to Orlando for its final three non-conference games of the season, first matching up with Stetson at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday, December 3, at 7 p.m.
