The UCF women’s basketball team came up just short in a hard-fought Big 12 battle Wednesday night, falling to Cincinnati 63-59 in overtime at Addition Financial Arena.
After trailing by five entering the fourth quarter, the Knights showed resilience, storming back with an 8-0 run to take a late three-point lead. However, Cincinnati senior Mya Perry connected on a clutch three-pointer in the final seconds to force overtime, swinging momentum in the Bearcats’ favor.
Cincinnati controlled the early pace, opening the game on a 6-0 run and capitalizing on UCF’s early foul trouble to build a 16-8 lead after the first quarter. Despite limited rotation flexibility, the Knights found their rhythm in the second period behind sophomore guard Leah Harmon, cutting the deficit to 26-24 at halftime.
The Bearcats maintained a narrow advantage through the third quarter, leading 43-38 entering the final frame. UCF continued to battle, breaking through midway in the fourth with aggressive downhill attacks from Harmon and junior center Khyala Ngodu to seize a 49-43 lead with just over four minutes remaining.
Cincinnati answered late, erasing the deficit and forcing overtime on Perry’s game-tying triple. In the extra period, the Bearcats went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line and held UCF to just six points to secure the win in a game that featured nine ties and seven lead changes.
Harmon led all scorers with 29 points, while Ngodu recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Perry paced Cincinnati with 24 points, including key free throws in overtime.
UCF finished with 26 points in the paint but was limited to two bench points and committed 17 turnovers. The Knights will look to bounce back Sunday at home as they continue Big 12 play against Colorado, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
