Women's Hoops Falls 65-52 in Tough Road Bout at Iowa State

AMES, Iowa - In the last of three consecutive contests against the preseason favorites in the Big 12, the UCF women’s basketball team battled through a 65-52 defeat against Iowa State on Saturday afternoon at the Hilton Coliseum.

While the Knights (10-11, 2-8) held the NCAA leading scorer, Audi Crooks, to 10 points in the contest, the Cyclones’ (18-5, 6-5) supporting cast stepped up, led by Jada Williams’ 23 points.

For the Black and Gold, Jacorriah Barcey led the charge with 16 points on 8-15 shooting, her best performance in Big 12 play. Mahogany Chandler-Roberts added another 10, marking her third game in four with double-digit points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Knights’ offense found some early rhythm, as a pair of Summer Yancy jumpers put the visitors on the board, with the latter being a tough finish at the rim. While Jacorriah Bracey and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts added field goals, putting UCF up 8-4 in the process, an ensuing slump flipped the first quarter in the Cyclones’ favor.

A 13-0 run from Iowa State on the back of three field goals from beyond the arc put the hosts in a comfortable position, forcing the Knights to call a timeout with just over three minutes on the clock. Out of the break, the Black and Gold’s defense stifled the Cyclones while Bankhead and Savannah Scott cut the deficit down to five at quarter’s end.

Audreonia Benson checked in to begin the second and immediately made an impact, finding space in the pain for a clean finish. Though in a similar fashion to the first quarter, the Cyclones went on a 9-0 run to jump back out to a 12-point advantage behind consistent shooting from all three levels.

With a spark needed, the Knights’ defense provided room once again for UCF to chip away at the deficit. Holding Iowa State to just two field goals over the final four minutes, a Chandler-Roberts three-pointer was the first of nine points from the Black and Gold to end the half.

Eight Knights were in the scoresheet after the opening 20 minutes; however, the defense kept UCF within striking distance, holding the hosts to a 30 percent shooting clip from the field.

A competitive third quarter saw more of the same from each team, as both offenses continued to struggle and separate themselves. With no squad piecing together five or more consecutive points, the Knights saw production from their posts, who had finally started to find their footing in the paint.

Ngodu and Chandler-Roberts combined for 10 in the period to combat the Cyclones, who hit some key three pointers in the closing minutes to keep their advantage at double digits.

In the fourth quarter, the Knights prevented Iowa State from pushing its advantage to 20, eventually bringing the game back down to the eventual final of 65-52.

UP NEXT

UCF will return home for a Wednesday tilt with Utah at 7 p.m. from Addition Financial Arena.