MORGANTOWN, West Virginia - In the first of two consecutive contests against top-25 opponents, the UCF women’s basketball team dropped its Wednesday night tilt at No. 19 West Virginia, 106-56.
As one of the nation’s best defensive outlets, the Mountaineers consistently forced turnovers from the Knights, who struggled to find their stride on the offensive end throughout the bout at the WVU Coliseum.
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts paced the Black and Gold once again, authoring her fifth consecutive game with double-digit points (12) and her ninth performance of the kind in Big 12 play. In the seventh-straight game against Big 12 opposition ranked among the top half in the NET, the Knights were without the leading scorers Khyala Ngodu and Leah Harmon (Injuries) for the second consecutive contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After exchanging blows through the opening stretch of Wednesday night’s bout, with the Knights feeding their posts early, the Mountaineers’ press began to cause issues for the UCF attack. A string of turnovers led to the hosts taking control of the contest, piecing together a 20-4 run to conclude the period up 24-8.
Six UCF turnovers led to 10 points from the Big 12 leaders in steals per game, West Virginia. Just four Knights shared four field goals as another sluggish first quarter put the Black and Gold in a difficult position as the dual flipped to the second quarter.
Needing to garner momentum offensively, the Knights found their footing in the early stages out of the break, hitting five of their first eight attempts from the field. Though, like the first quarter, a dry spell ensued with just two of UCF’s last nine shots falling, making way for the Mountaineers to conclude the half on a 12-4 run.
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts paced the Knights in the opening half, tallying eight points and five rebounds. Twenty of the Black and Gold’s 22 first-half points came in the paint.
A high-scoring affair in the third quarter only strengthened the hosts' advantage. The UCF offense strived to find its touch from beyond the arc, downing three of seven attempts, though, in turn, only tallied a pair of points in the paint, a stark contrast from the first half.
In a similar fashion to the first two periods of play, West Virginia turned on the burners in the final minutes of the third, outscoring the Black and Gold 9-0 over the last three minutes.
The Mountaineers continued their offensive display with another 30-point quarter to conclude the matchup, eventually taking the contest 106-56.
UP NEXT
The Knights will return home after their two-game road swing for their second-consecutive ranked tilt against No. 12 Baylor. UCF will welcome the Bears to Addition Financial Arena for its annual Pink Game, with tipoff at 2 p.m.
SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
UCF women's basketball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action at Addition Financial Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.