The KEY to Success
It was an explosive debut for SFA transfer Key Roseby in her first game as a Knight against Florida A&M Tuesday. She led the team with 22 points, knocking down an astounding six three-pointers on eight attempts. Her scoring performance is the third best of any Big 12 player this season. Roseby was just short of her career-high of 26 points, but her three-pointer total surpassed her previous best by two. The junior added six rebounds, three assists and a steal to her stat line, leading the Knights to victory.
Game One, Game Won
It was a happy night in Orlando Tuesday, as new head coach Gabe Lazo led his program to victory No. 1 on the 2026-27 season over Florida A&M. Lazo, the first Latino Power 4 women's basketball head coach, became the sixth coach in UCF history to win their coaching debut at the helm of the Black & Gold. Downing the Rattlers 85-56, it marked a promising start to a new chapter in Orlando.
Well-Balanced Offense
The Black and Gold relied on all players in the season opener to get the win. Key Roseby poured in 22 points, Caitlyn Jones and Mikayla Johnson added 13 each, Candace Kpetikou dropped in 12 and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts completed the double-digit scorers with 11. The combination marked the first time that five Knights scored in double figures since Nov. 16, 2024, when UCF defeated Stetson, 89-58.
A New Era
The Knights will enter the 2026-27 season with a new face at the helm, with head coach Gabe Lazo being named the head coach of Women's Basketball in April. UCF marks Lazo's first stop as a head coach, adding onto his has 10 years of collegiate coaching experience. The Miami native spent the past two seasons at Tennessee, helping guide the Lady Vols to two NCAA Tournament appearances. An infectious personality with a strong recruiting presence, he brought two top-ten recruiting classes to Knoxville and has continued that success with his first signing class for the Black and Gold. Lazo is ready to bring his experience to the Big 12 Conference with the goal of making a splash in his first season.
New Look 3-Ball
The Knights shot 25.8 percent from three last season, ranking them 340th nationally. This offseason, Coach Lazo and staff brought in some key transfers who will look to bolster the offense from deep. Kya Hurt is a sophomore transfer from Illinois State; there, she averaged 36.5 percent from distance. Another addition is Key Roseby, the junior transfer from Stephen F. Austin, who averaged 34.4 percent from beyond the arc a season ago.
International Knights
The Knights roster boasts five international student-athletes in Maria Cintas (Spain), Salome Boyomo Keedi (France), Candace Kpetikou (Niger), Felicia Scholander (Sweden) and Vittoria Blasigh (Italy). Both Cintas and Blasigh have represented their countries in international competition, with Blaisgh playing for Italy at the 2026 Women's World Cup this summer and Cintas winning gold with her Spain squad at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's Eurobasket.
Canes -> Knights Connection
Senior Vittoria Blasigh and redshirt junior Candace Kpetikou joined UCF this offseason, both making the journey up from the University of Miami. The former Hurricanes turned Knights played in 31 games together a season ago with Blasigh averaging 6.7 points per game and Kpetikou earning a 43.5 clip shooting from the field.
Home Sweet Home
The Knights will feature seven of their first eight games of the season at Addition Financial Arena to kick off the season. The homestand will bring four in-state opponents to Orlando in Florida A&M, Stetson, North Florida and Jacksonville in addition to three others with Austin Peay, Le Moyne and South Alabama. 19 of the Knights' regular season contests are set to take place in their home arena. UCF has garnered 175 wins in Addition Financial Arena over the years and will look to continue to improve its home record in Coach Lazo's debut season.
Returning Knights
Coach Lazo returned three players from the 2025-26 roster to bring a veteran UCF presence to his program. Mahogany Chandler-Roberts is set to return for her third season in Black and Gold this year after starting all 30 games a season ago. The rising junior averagd 7.7 points per contest in 25-26 and shot 43.3 percent from the floor. Also returning is Orlando native Jasmynne Gibson, who saw time in 20 games last year, tallying 3.6 points each game. Felicia Scholander featured in 12 games in her freshman season with the Knights and will look to broaden her game experience in year two wearing the Black and Gold.
A UCF Homecoming
Coach Lazo added a familiar face for longtime UCF fans to his coaching staff in the hiring of Assistant Coach Lynn Bria. Her return marks her second stint in Orlando, as she previously served as the ninth head coach in UCF Women's Basketball history. Bria was at the helm from 1996-99 and oversaw a Knights program that won an Atlantic Sun Conference title and the first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. "My affection for UCF has continued with me throughout my career," said Bria on her hiring. "The memories haven't gone away... I can't wait to be back in Orlando!"
Exhibition Insights
The Knights got to test out their 2026-27 roster in a pair of exhibition contests before the season began, gaining great insight into how the team will compete. In the first, UCF traveled down to take on Auburn in a neutral site game, showing a lot of grit and fight. The Tigers jumped out to an 18-point lead towards the end of the first quarter, but the Knights clawed back, falling by a single-digit deficit. Exhibition 2 saw UCF host St. Leo, dominating the program en route to a 99-50 win. Vittoria Blasigh led the scoring way for the Knights in the two, scoring 19 against Auburn and 15 vs. St. Leo. Mikayla Johnson notched a double-double with her 15-points, 10-rebound performance versus the Lions.