Coach Abe earns 300th win as Knights complete comeback against Mustangs

The UCF Knights pulled off a remarkable comeback against the Mustangs on Saturday, winning 55-43.

In the first quarter, the Knights pulled slightly ahead, but the team hit a wall in the second quarter, scoring just four points.

The Mustangs led by nine at halftime with a 27-18 advantage.

Through three quarters, the home squad looked beat by a mile as the lengthy Mustangs packed the paint, forcing the Knights to take shots from the perimeter.

“When they’re long, we just gotta make outside shots,” junior guard Kay Kay Wright said.

The team took shots from a longer range, but the shots failed to fall.

The Knights made just 13 shots on 43 attempts from the floor through three quarters and trailed by eight points going into the fourth quarter, but in the fourth quarter, the team exploded.

The team went on a 14-0 run and held the Mustangs scoreless for the first seven minutes of the final frame. SMU only hit one field goal and UCF outscored their opponent 24-4 to win by 12.

Junior guard Kay Kay Wright led the team in scoring with 21 points but received some help in the form of senior guard Sydnee McDonald, who began hitting her stride in the fourth quarter.

“The only reason why I was hitting shots was because I hate losing,” McDonald said.

McDonald ended the game with 19 points, shooting 5-9 from distance.

McDonald’s clutch play in the fourth and Wright’s offense gave Coach ABE her 300th career win as a D-1 head coach and her 59th as UCF’s head coach.

The Knights are continuing their best D-1 start in program history at 16-2, currently sitting tied for first atop the AAC next to the UConn Huskies.

The Knights head to Greenville on Wednesday to face the ECU Pirates. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. EST.