UCF Women’s Hoops Dominates Cincinnati, 57-41

The UCF Knights’ defense once again led the way with a dominant performance, holding Cincinnati to 29% from the field, and Diamond Battles led the offense with 14 points as the Knights improved to 7-2 and 5-1 in The American with a 57-41 win over the Bearcats on Sunday.

Sunday marked the 5th time UCF held its opponent under 50 points in a game, as they held Cincinnati to 15 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarter combined. UCF’s defense held AAC preseason co-player of year Ilmar Thomas, who came into the game 4th in the NCAA at 25 points per game, to just 13 points.

This was the first meeting between the two programs since the 2020 AAC Semifinals, when Cincinnati knocked off UCF to advance to AAC title game. The Knights played like a team that had payback on their mind, dominating the boards 44-34 and winning second-chance points 16-6.

Brittney Smith added 12 points and 5 rebounds for UCF.

Up next for the Knights is a trip to Houston on Saturday for a second meeting with the Cougars. UCF won the first meeting between the two back on January 3rd by a score of 55-46. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.