A second-half surge allowed the UCF women’s basketball team to clinch a season sweep of Houston with Tuesday night’s 59-38 win.
UCF built on its 7-point halftime lead by outscoring its counterpart 24-5 in the first 11 and a half minutes after the break. UCF (9-18, 5-11) cruised the rest of the way as three Knights ended up in double figures in the victory.
Sophomore Zykira Lewis sank 8-of-16 from the field en route to a game-high 20 points while freshman Aliyah Gregory contributed 15 points. Senior Brittni Montgomery came through with a big performance of 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the year and her first of conference play.
Thanks to four treys on Tuesday, Lewis leaped to No. 4 in UCF’s record book for single season 3-pointers. She needs just six more to claim the record outright.
UCF used a 10-2 spurt midway through the first half to gain momentum, picking up all of their points in the paint to take a 22-15 lead with 5:37 to go.
Lewis capped the half with a 3-pointer from the left wing and a steal with two seconds remaining to keep the Knights ahead, 26-19.
The Knights continued to push it after the break with a 15-0 run capped by a tradition 3-point play from Gregory. UCF held Houston scoreless for more than six minutes as the team piled on to its healthy lead.
The Cougars’ 38 points was the lowest output by a UCF opponent this season. With the win, the Knights picked up their sixth in a row over their conference foe.
UCF will play in its final home game of the season Saturday at 4 p.m. against USF on ESPN3. The Knights will honor the Class of 2015 on Senior Knight.
Information written and provided by UCF Athletics.