Brittney Scott chipped in with 14 points and was one of four Cougars to score in double figures. The Cougars return home to face SMU for a Sunday showdown at Hofheinz Pavilion. | Aaron Cisneros/The Daily Cougar
UCF was less than a minute away from putting an end to the Cougars’ winning streak, but timely rebounds and clutch free throws keyed them to a 71-68 comeback victory Thursday at UCF Arena.
UH appeared to have a comfortable lead throughout the majority of the game but let UCF hang around. With 1:06 remaining, the Knights battled all the way back to take a slim three-point advantage.
Aisha Patrick was fouled by Porsche Landry but missed the one-and-one at the free-throw line.
Lesslee Mason drew contact and sunk both of her free throws to get within one.
On the ensuing possession, Gevenia Carter missed a jump shot, and Courtney Taylor recovered the rebound and drew a whistle in the process. She sank both free throws to push the Cougars ahead for good at 69-68.
“UCF is very good and very talented, and we’re extremely fortunate to get out of here with a win,” head coach Todd Buchanan said in a statement. “But I’ll certainly take it.
“We just have to learn from this, and thank goodness we get to learn through a winning experience.”
The Cougars will look to stretch their win streak to eight when they play SMU Sunday.
“No question, it was too close,” Buchanan said. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and try to get everyone ready for a very good and very hungry SMU team on Sunday.”
The Cougars next contest tips off at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion.
