• Final stats

A rivalry game against the then-No. 22 USF Bulls didn’t end favorably for the hosting UCF Knights, as their late-game comeback ended in overtime and defeat.

But head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson’s squad responded with a dominating, double-digit win over the Memphis Tigers, the Knight’s first win in Memphis since joining the American Athletic Conference.

UCF (18-9, 10-4 in AAC) beat Memphis 63-40 on Feb. 21 at Elma Roane Fieldhouse in front of an announced attendance of 391. Redshirt senior Zakiya Saunders led UCF’s four double-digit scorers with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Korneila Wright tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

“I came in the game and said we need some x-factors in this game,” Abrahamson-Henderson said after the game, per UCF’s Twitter account. “It’s gotta be more than just [Saunders]. I mean, everyone’s gonna guard [Saunders], right now, ’cause she had a great game against USF.

“And I think everybody really stepped up. I knew that if we could get stops on defense, we could go in transition, and, you know, [Wright] did a good job of delivering the ball.”

UCF succumbed to an early deficit, as Memphis out-scored the Knights 19-10 in the first quarter. The rest of the game was all UCF, though, as the Knights held the Tigers to single digits in each of the final three quarters.

In the final three quarters, UCF also scored 20, 16 and 17 points.

Guard Jamesha Paul started the Knights’ resurgent effort very early in the second quarter, scoring the first bucket on a layup. Two possessions later, she snatched one of her team-leading three steals for another layup. Another steal three minutes into the second resulted in another fast-break layup, this time making it a 23-22, one-point game.

Paul finished the game with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists, shooting 5-for-7 from the field.

“It feels great,” Paul said after the win of the Knights’ first win in Memphis in the American, per UCF’s Twitter account. “I’m happy, I’m excited for the seniors to get their first win in Memphs.”

The Tigers had just one player score in double digits: guard Brea Elmore. She shot 4-for-14 from the field, as all four of her makes were 3-pointers. In total, Memphis was held to 29.8 percent shooting for the game. Memphis also turned the ball over 21 times.

Who’s Next?

The Knights will play their final road game of the regular season against the Houston Cougars on Saturday at 1 p.m. Afterward, UCF returns home to host the ECU Pirates for its final home game of the regular season.

For more on the Knights, as they look to close out their 2017-18 regular season, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.