UCONN @ UCF
Day: Sunday
Date: January 1st, 2017
Location: CFE Arena, Orlando, Fla.
Time: 1:00 PM
TV: SNY/ESPN3
No. 1 UConn 12-0 (0-0) Central Florida 4-13 (1-5)
Head to Head games
1/1/14 W 77-49 A
2/19/14 W 83-35 H
1/21/15 W 100-45 A
1/20/16 W 106-51 H
1/21/15 W 100-45 A
1/20/16 W 106-51 H
Here are last year's game highlights
From my post game report of last years game
From my post game report of last years game
Morgan who? Just kidding!!! But UConn didn't miss a beat without their Ms. Steady. Gabby Williams started and was just incredible. She was just dominating the game before leaving with an injury. I'll be honest, my mind raced to the rest of the season without Williams, Tuck not coming back, Chong struggling game to game, and on and on. When Gabby limped to the locker room and slammed her hand against the wall in the hallway, I'm thinking she hurt her knee. I mean, she knows what it feels like to hurt that knee and that this was it.
Thankfully, my paranoia was just that. A minor ankle sprain that she had hurt in practice and tweaked again was all it was. Whew!!! It was great to see her back in the game after getting re-taped.
I don't think anyone wants to read a quarter by quarter review in this one. UConn dominated having a 60 point lead with 4 minutes left. I felt for sure my 65+ point prediction was right on. Then Central Florida decided to make every shot they took for the final 55 point margin.
UCF has a new coach and it seems to have them playing a better brand of basketball. Last year they were 7-23 for the season and lost to UConn by 55. This year they are 10-3 coming into the matchup with the Huskies. Their schedule has not been against many tough teams. But they did play No. 19 Virginia Tech in a close game, where they lost 67-64.
UConn comes into this game a little beat up after their win over No. 4 Maryland. The big question will be how healthy they are. Did anyone else catch what Samuelson had?
Stat by Stat Comparison
Leader is bolded
Leader is bolded
UCONN Central Florida
80.6 Points Per Game 66.4
58.5 Opp Points Per Game 52.3
.492 Field Goal % .420
.370 Opp Field Goal % .367
.419 3 Point Field Goal % .274
.268 Opp 3 Point Field Goal % .290
.768 Free Throw % .606
37.8 Rebounds Per Game 42.9
34.2 Opp Rebounds Per Game 31.1
20.8 Assists Per Game 12.2
13.6 Turnovers Per Game 18.1
1.5 Assists/Turnover Ratio .7
1.5 Assists/Turnover Ratio .7
9.3 Steals Per Game 13.5
3.8 Blocks Per Game 1.2
UCONN
UConn Starters
33 Katie Lou Samuelson
6'3" Sophomore Guard/Forward
Games - 12, MPG 33.2, FG% .478, 3PT% .461, FT% .822, PPG 20.8, RPG 4.0, APG 2.8
24 Napheesa Collier
6'1" Sophomore Forward/Guard
Games - 12, MPG 31.3, FG% .624, 3PT% .375, FT% .818, PPG 19.0, RPG 7.8, APG 1.8
15 Gabby Williams
5'11" Junior Forward
Games - 12, MPG 29.1, FG% .500, 3PT% .250, FT% .680, PPG 10.8, RPG 8.3, APG 4.7
11 Kia Nurse
6' Junior Guard
Games - 12, MPG 35.5, FG% .447, 3PT% .443, FT% .867, PPG 14.0, RPG 2.3, APG 4.3
12 Saniya Chong
5'8" Senior Guard
Games - 10, MPG 22.9, FG% .500, 3PT% .385, FT% .632, PPG 5.5, RPG 1.9, APG 3.0
UConn Bench
5 Crystal Dangerfield
5'5" Freshman Guard
Games - 11, MPG 23.2, FG% .415, 3PT% .370, FT% .625, PPG 6.3, RPG 2.6, APG 3.2
51 Natalie Butler
6'5" RS Sophomore Center
Games - 12, MPG 16.8, FG% .413, 3PT% .000, FT% .667, PPG 3.7, RPG 4.7, APG 1.1
10 Molly Bent
5'9" Freshman Guard
Games - 10, MPG 8.3, FG% .500, 3PT% .600, FT% .500, PPG 1.6, RPG 1.0, APG .5
25 Kyla Irwin
6'2" Freshman Forward
Games - 9, MPG 6.7, FG% .182, 3PT% .000, FT% .500, PPG .8, RPG 1.0, APG .4
20 Tierney Lawlor
5'7" Senior Guard
Games - 8, MPG 2.9, FG% .000, 3PT% .000, FT% .000, PPG 0.0, RPG .4, APG .1
*******************************************************************
Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
Head Coach
On April 1, 2016, Katie Abrahamson-Henderson was announced as UCF's head women's basketball coach.
Abrahamson-Henderson comes to UCF after six seasons at Albany, where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles. Her Albany teams recorded five 20-win seasons en route to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first bid in 2011 and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2016.
Abrahamson-Henderson comes to UCF after six seasons at Albany, where she led the Great Danes to a combined nine America East Conference tournament and regular season titles. Her Albany teams recorded five 20-win seasons en route to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the program’s first bid in 2011 and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2016.
“We’re proud to welcome Coach Abrahamson-Henderson and her family to UCF,” White said. “I’m confident in Katie’s ability to be a wonderful leader for our women’s basketball student-athletes. She quickly stood out as we were going through the search process. After reviewing her credentials and speaking to her, it became very clear to me that Coach Abrahamson-Henderson is the right leader at the right time for UCF women’s basketball. That feeling was further confirmed after speaking to numerous people about her. She has been a winner as a player and as a coach. We look forward to her bringing that experience to our program. “This was a quick, but thorough search,” White added. “I have the members of my executive team and our search committee to thank for that. Their expertise was crucial to helping us bring Coach Abrahamson-Henderson to Orlando.”
Albany’s first NCAA Division I All-America performer came during Abrahamson-Henderson’s tenure. Numerous Great Dane players have been recognized with America East accolades, including: four Players of the Year awards, four Defensive Players of the Year awards, one Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one Rookie of the Year, nine first-team all-conference selections, 17 total all-conference honors, 12 all-defensive team picks and five all-academic team awards.
Also known as Coach Abe, she was chosen as the America East Coach of the Year three times and guided Albany to a combined 83-13 record in league play. Moreover, Albany won 38-consecutive America East regular season contests from Feb. 1, 2012 through Feb. 26, 2014, setting a new league record and setting what was then the longest conference winning streak in all of Division I. That streak surpassed the old record of 37, set by Maine from 1995-97 under coach Joanne P. McCallie, Coach Abe’s mentor at both Maine and Michigan State.
Abrahamson-Henderson was previously the associate head coach at Indiana prior to moving to Albany and also held that title at Michigan State (2000-02). She served as Missouri State University’s head coach from 2002-07. During her coaching career, she has helped three different teams reach the NCAA Tournament and five programs reach postseason play.
Coach Abe has two decades of experience on the Division I level. She guided Missouri State’s program to three Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships, two MVC regular-season titles and three NCAA berths. The Bears, who also won the 2005 WNIT championship, posted a 95-61 record during her five seasons.
In addition, she coached a pair of MVC players of the year, 11 all-conference honorees, two of the program’s all-time leading scorers, three players who went on to professional careers, and 13 MVC scholar-athletes.
Following her stay at Missouri State, Abrahamson-Henderson worked at Washington in the Pacific-10 Conference as assistant coach and co-recruiting coordinator in 2007-08. Prior to that, she served as associate head coach for Indiana on Felisha Legette-Jack’s staff. The Hoosiers advanced to the 2009 WNIT quarterfinals and finished with a 21-11 record.
At one of her most successful stops as an assistant, Abrahamson-Henderson helped Iowa State (1994-00) clinch four-consecutive NCAA appearances, including runs to the 1999 Elite Eight and 2000 Sweet 16. The Cyclones won the Big 12 regular season and tournament title in 2000 and saw two of their own selected in the WNBA Draft that year.
An accomplished student-athlete and a Parade Magazine and USA Today High School All-American, Abrahamson-Henderson played two seasons at Georgia for Andy Landers before transferring to Iowa to compete for Basketball Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer. At Iowa, she was a member of two Big Ten Conference championship teams and played in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. As a freshman at Georgia, she helped the Bulldogs capture the 1986 Southeastern Conference title.
23 Zykira Lewis
5'8" Senior Guard
-Became 21st 1,000-point scorer in UCF history
-Moved up in UCF's record book to #2 for career 3-pointers (191); #5 for career points (1,356); #6 for career field goals (497); and #8 for career steals (156)
-Joined UCF's single-season 3-pointer top 10 for second straight season, finishing with 68 (7th)
-Averaged team best 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists
-Her team-high 34.6 minutes per game ranked fifth in the American's standings
-Started in 27 of 29 appearances and registered eight 20-point performances
MPG 30.0, FG% .435, 3PT% .300, PPG 16.5, RPG 2.9, APG 2.8
12 Nyala Shuler
6' RS Sophomore Forward
6' RS Sophomore Forward
-Averaged 4.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 23.5 minutes per game
-Earned 21 starting nods and was only one of two Knights to appear in all 30 games
-Earned 21 starting nods and was only one of two Knights to appear in all 30 games
MPG 22.3, FG% .338, 3PT% .125, PPG 4.1, RPG 5.7, APG .7
5'10" Junior Guard
-Averaged 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 30 minutes per game
-Started in 24 of 29 appearances
-Averaged 12.1 points per game in conference play, which ranked among the top 20 leading scorers in the American
-Started in 24 of 29 appearances
-Averaged 12.1 points per game in conference play, which ranked among the top 20 leading scorers in the American
2 Korneila Wright
5'7" Freshman Guard
- ESPN four-star recruit and ranked 61st overall in her class
- Rated 17th in her position by ESPN
- Called up for 2016 Florida Prospects All Star game
- Rated 17th in her position by ESPN
- Called up for 2016 Florida Prospects All Star game
MPG 30.3, FG% .299, 3PT% .400, PPG 4.9, RPG 3.6, APG 4.0
25 Tolulope Omokore
5'11" Sophomore Forward
-Averaged 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game
-Worked her way into starting lineup for 6 of last 7 games of the season
-In the games she started, averaged 10 points, 9.5 rebounds and 24.3 minutes per game
-Worked her way into starting lineup for 6 of last 7 games of the season
-In the games she started, averaged 10 points, 9.5 rebounds and 24.3 minutes per game
MPG 19.1, FG% .500, 3PT% .000, PPG 7.8, RPG 6.3, APG .1
Central Florida Bench
32 Joclyn Massey
6' RS Senior Forward
-Averaged 8.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game
-Started in 19 of 29 appearances
-Finished the year with a team-best five double-doubles
-Ranked 6th in the league for field goal percentage (.495; 90-182) and 7th for rebounding
-Started in 19 of 29 appearances
-Finished the year with a team-best five double-doubles
-Ranked 6th in the league for field goal percentage (.495; 90-182) and 7th for rebounding
MPG 27.4, FG% .561, 3PT% .500, PPG 8.3, RPG 7.9, APG .7
24 Fifi Nadour
6'1" Junior Forward
Averaged 6.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20 minutes per game
-Started in 17 of 29 appearances and was the team's leader for blocked shots (21)
-Ranked 9th among the American's top rebounders during conference play (6.9 per game)
-Started in 17 of 29 appearances and was the team's leader for blocked shots (21)
-Ranked 9th among the American's top rebounders during conference play (6.9 per game)
MPG 22.5, FG% .448, 3PT% .000, PPG 9.0, RPG 5.7 APG .5
11 Kayla Thigpen
5'9" Senior Guard
5'9" Senior Guard
-Averaged 6.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game
-Started twice and was one of two Knights to appear in all 30 games
-American Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Week (11/30)
-Started twice and was one of two Knights to appear in all 30 games
-American Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Week (11/30)
MPG 13.8, FG% .333, 3PT% .333, PPG 4.6, RPG 1.5, APG .4
Game Analysis
UCF plays a little bigger than some of the smaller teams UConn will play in the AAC. They grab 42.9 rebounds per game, more than UConn does. But UCF's problem is not rebounding or height as much as it is their shooting and handling the ball. They have a terrible shooting percentage of 42% and they are a terrible three point shooting team at 27.4%.
5'8" guard Zykira Lewis is the leading scorer and best player on the team. The senior guard is a dynamic player in the mold of the other tough guards in the conference. She is a volume shooter and takes around eight three-pointers per game. Look for her to shoot often.
6' forward Joclyn Massey averages close to a double-double and is their best frontcourt player. She is good at finishing around the basket shooting 54% from the field. The problem is only ONE other player, 6'1" Fifi Ndoir is shooting over 40%. They are just a terrible shooting team.
I'm not sure what the strategy will be for UCF both offensively and defensively. I haven't been able to scout much of their play. But the matchups are not good for them against UConn.
5'8" guard Zykira Lewis is the leading scorer and best player on the team. The senior guard is a dynamic player in the mold of the other tough guards in the conference. She is a volume shooter and takes around eight three-pointers per game. Look for her to shoot often.
6' forward Joclyn Massey averages close to a double-double and is their best frontcourt player. She is good at finishing around the basket shooting 54% from the field. The problem is only ONE other player, 6'1" Fifi Ndoir is shooting over 40%. They are just a terrible shooting team.
I'm not sure what the strategy will be for UCF both offensively and defensively. I haven't been able to scout much of their play. But the matchups are not good for them against UConn.
Final Prediction
The final margin will depend a lot on the bench for UConn. They will be seeing a ton of time.
UConn by 45+
UConn by 45+
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