Opening Knight Success
Head coach Sytia Messer improved to 4-0 in season openers with the Knights as her squad dominated Bethune-Cookman 75-36 in front of 6,000-plus at Addition Financial Arena... The 39-point win margin also stands as the second-largest victory under Messer, sitting just a point away from the 40-point win against Winthrop (72-32)... All-time the Knights are 26-23 in season openers and 35-14 in home openers... In the four contests, UCF has outscored its opponents 324-175 in season-opening contests
Season-openers under coach Messer:
- Nov. 3, 2025 vs. Bethune-Cookman | W, 75-36 (+39)
- Nov. 5, 2024 vs. Iona | W, 76-44 (+32)
- Nov. 6, 2023 vs. Bethune-Cookman | W, 101-63 (+38)
- Nov. 7, 2022 vs. Winthrop | W, 72-32 (+40)
Tamed the Wildcats
The Wildcats mustered just 36 points, the second-fewest points the Knights have allowed in the Messer era, and four off the 32 points Winthrop scored in Messer's first game in charge on November 7, 2022...Moreover, Bethune-Cookman's 14 first-half points were the fewest in any half allowed since the Knights held Campbell to 11 second-half points on Dec. 3, 2023... The Wildcats failed to score in double digits over the first two quarters, adding just 10 in the third and 12th in the fourth.
Returning Knights
Coach Messer returns a pair of key frontcourt contributors in Khyala Ngodu and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, along with versatile playmaker Summer Yancy... The formers saw minutes in all but one game last season (29 of 30), with Ngodu garnering starts down the stretch with four double-digit-point performances in her last six contests... Ngodu set career marks in points (6.9 p/g) and rebounds (5.9 p/g)... Chandler-Roberts and Yancy each contributed as freshmen under Messer, with the latter boasting an efficient .458 shooting percentage, while Chandler-Roberts was one of four to secure 100-plus rebounds.
Portal Additions
Eight transfers add a combined 17 seasons of collegiate experience to Orlando, as coach Messer added both physicality and Power Four experience to her roster. Savannah Scott (Auburn) boasted a standout freshman season two seasons ago, while Leah Harmon (Miami) and Kayanna Cox (SMU) each contributed to their respective teams as first years... Kristol Ayson (Tulsa) and Jacorriah Bracey (Southern Miss) each hold four years of experience themselves, while Jasmynne Gibson (North Florida) was named to the All-Atlantic Sun Freshman Team in 2024-25... Pensacola State transfer Audreonia Benson was named First-Team All-Panhandle and averaged 11.9 points per game in two seasons with the Pirates. Logan Reed (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) rounds out the exciting transfer class after redshirting her freshman season.
Freshmen Sensations
The Knights welcome in three promising freshmen to campus ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, each making long journeys from their hometowns to suit up in Black and Gold... Samari Bankhead was a standout guard at Windward High School in Los Angeles, California, receiving an opportunity to be coached by basketball legend Kobe Bryant during her youth career... Swedish natives Felicia Scholander and Meja Hansel, who both competed on the national team alongside one another, each bring something exciting to the team... Scholander shot 33 percent from beyond the arc in Sweden's Basketettan League, while Hansel's height and physicality saw the freshman average 6.3 rebounds per game with RIG Lulea in the Basketettan League.
Home Court Advantage
Head coach Sytia Messer has found consistent success at Addition Financial Arena since her first season in 2022-23... The Knights have boasted a combined 29-20 record in home contests over the past three years, with 21 of the victories coming in Orlando... During her first slate with the Black and Gold, the Knights went 11-5 at home, before an 8-8 record in 2023-24 and a 9-7 record in 2024-25.
