TEMPE, Arizona - In the first game of a west-coast road swing, the UCF women’s basketball team fell to Arizona State, 45-68, Wednesday night at the Desert Financial Arena.
Inconsistency from the offense kept the Knights (8-7, 0-4) from striking in the second half, as the Sun Devils (15-1, 3-1) sustained a double-digit lead throughout the final stages. While UCF held the hosts at bay from beyond the arc, Arizona State found its place in the paint, outscoring the Knights 40-18 below the basket.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the minutes following tipoff, both sides struggled to find any offensive rhythm, as just eight combined points were scored in the first five minutes of action. Arizona State’s Marl Washenitz scored six points in a row to finally set the tone for the hosts, amassing a nine-point lead in the process.
A smooth jumper from freshman Samari Bankhead snapped the cold stretch for the Knights, and a subsequent layup from Savannah Scott at the rim put the Black and Gold in motion. Trailing 16-9 after the first quarter, a pair of quick UCF buckets cut the lead down to three, though the Sun Devils responded with a seven-point swing to put their lead into double digits.
Looking to stay within striking distance, the Knights began to instill its attack after the media timeout, with Leah Harmon, fresh off her career-high 38-point performance vs. Kansas on Sunday, got to the rim and finished before connecting on a jump moments later.
Bankhead’s hot hand sank a shot from beyond the arc to close the first-half scoring and cut the UCF deficit to just five heading into the break, 26-21.
The Black and Gold struggled to put together multiple sequences to flip the script, leaving room for Arizona State to push the lead back to 10. And after Harmon downed a pair of free throws, the hosts went on a 10-point run to open an 18-point lead with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter.
UCF kept the contest competitive, however, piecing together a six-point run to end the period on a high note, with Summer Yancy and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts each scoring a layup in the final minutes.
Out of the short break, Jacorriah Bracey connected on a three-pointer to bring the Black and Gold back within 10. However, just as UCF strived to get into single digits, another eight-plus-point run put Arizona State back in control of the matchup.
UP NEXT
The Knights will stay in the Grand Canyon State and travel two hours south to Tucson for their Saturday tilt with Arizona at 4 p.m. EST at the McKale Center.