ORLANDO — The Gabe Lazo era of UCF Women’s Basketball began in commanding fashion Tuesday (Nov. 3) night, as the Knights cruised to an 85-56 victory over Florida A&M in Lazo’s debut as a head coach, marking a promising start to a new chapter in Orlando.
“This has been a moment I’ve always dreamed of, I just kept replaying it again and again in my mind,” said Lazo. “I am so grateful, grateful to be here, grateful for the moment, grateful for all of the coaches that I have worked under that have given me an opportunity to learn and grow.”
The Knights showcased a balanced offense, with five players reaching double figures for the first time since Nov. 16, 2024 against Stetson, while the Black and Gold’s defense held the Rattlers to just 27.6 percent shooting from the field.
Key Roseby led the offensive effort with 22 points, knocking down a career high six three-pointers, while Caitlyn Jones and Mikayla Johnson added 13 each, Candace Kpetikou dropped in 12 and Mahogany Chandler-Roberts chipped in with 11.
UCF controlled the paint, tallying 44 points inside while capitalizing on Florida A&M’s missteps with 26 points off of turnovers.
The Black and Gold has won their last eight season openers dating back to a 61-58 victory at Pitt on Nov. 7, 2018.
Here is the box score:
UCF 85, Florida A&M 56
Florida A&M (0-1)
Niah Rhodes 3-9 1-2 9, Persais Williams 2-6 2-5 6, Tahnyjia Purifoy 1-8 3-4 5, Shaniyah McCarthy 2-8 1-2 5, Miya Giles-Jones 0-4 0-0 0, Kamryn Grant 5-10 7-8 18, Kristen Johnson 1-7 2-2 5, Dijona Berrien 1-1 2-5 4, Lisa Sims 1-4 2-2 4, Breasia Coit 0-1 0-0 0, Brooklyn Swann 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 16-58 20-30 56.
UCF (1-0)
Key Roseby 8-15 0-2 22, Caitlyn Jones 5-5 3-3 13, Candace Kpetikou 5-8 2-6 12, Mahogany Chandler-Roberts 3-4 5-8 11, Vittoria Blasigh 2-5 0-0 4, Mikayla Johnson 5-16 1-3 13, Jasmynne Gibson 1-2 3-4 5, Kya Hurt 1-4 0-0 3, Nyla McFadden 1-1 0-0 2, Felicia Schoelander 0-2 0-2 0, Salomé Boyomo Keedi 0-0 0-0 0, Jabria Lindsey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals _ 31-63 14-26 85.
FAMU 11 8 14 23 _ 56
UCF 23 16 24 22 _ 85
3-Point Field Goals _ FAMU 4-17 (Rhodes 2-6, Johnson 1-5, Grant 1-1, Purifoy 0-3, McCarthy 0-1, Sims 0-1); UCF 9-23 (Roseby 6-8, Johnson 2-7, Hurt 1-2, Blasigh 0-2, Schoelander 0-2, Chandler-Roberts 0-1, Lindsey 0-1). Team Fouls _ FAMU 19; UCF 29. Fouled Out _ UCF (Kpetikou, McFadden). Technical Fouls _ FAMU (Grant); UCF (Kpetikou). Rebounds _ FAMU 32 (Grant 5, Sims 4); UCF 50 (Gibson 8, Kpetikou, Johnson 7 each, Roseby, Chandler-Roberts 6 each). Assists _ FAMU 8 (Purifoy 8); UCF 19 (Jones 5, Roseby 3). Turnovers _ FAMU 20; UCF 21. Steals _ FAMU 7 (Berrien 2); UCF 14 (Gibson 4, Chandler-Roberts, Johnson, McFadden 2 each). Blocker Shots _ FAMU 2 (Williams, Grant); UCF 7 (Kpetikou 3, Chandler-Roberts 2).
But things did not go quite as well on Thursday as in Lazo’s first road test of his UCF tenure, the UCF women’s basketball team (1-1) fell to Florida (2-0) in Gainesville, 95-65.
The Knights stayed close for the first quarter, trailing just 20-17 after the first 10-minutes, but the host Gators went on a 28-11 run in the second quarter at Stephen C. O’Connell Center and never looked back.
Chandler-Roberts recorded a career-best 20 points on the evening, while Vittoria Blasigh scored a season-high 18 points, evenly balanced with three made triples and seven made shots, and Jones was also in double figures with 10 points.
Here is the box score:
Florida 95, UCF 65
UCF (1-1)
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts 9-14 1-1 20, Vittoria Blasigh 7-13 1-1 18, Caitlyn Jones 4-11 2-3 10, Candace Kpetikou 3-7 0-0 6, Key Roseby 2-5 0-0 5, Jasmynne Gibson 1-2 2-4 4, Nyla McFadden 1-5 0-0 2, Kya Hurt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals _ 27-58 6-9 65.
Florida (2-0)
Kiyomi McMiller 14-25 7-8 42, Vivian Iwuchukwu 6-7 8-12 20, Vanessa Harris 4-9 0-0 9, Moriah Murray 2-6 0-0 6, Jordan Jones, 1-9 2-3 4, Jade Weathersby 4-7 1-3 10, Aurora Almón 0-0 2-2 2, Ja’Niya Broome 0-1 2-2 2, Skye Owen 0-2 0-0 0, Mallory Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Taliyah Parker 0-1 0-0 0, Bailey Harris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 31-67 22-30 95.
UCF 17 11 15 22 _ 65
Florida 20 28 20 27 _ 95
3-Point Field Goals _ UCF 5-14 (Blasigh 3-5, Roseby 1-3, Chandler-Roberts 1-2, McFadden 0-2, Jones 0-1, Kpetikou 0-1); Florida 11-26 (McMiller 7-10, Murray 2-6, Harris 1-3, Weathersby 1-3, Joes 0-3, Owen 0-1). Team Fouls _ UCF 23; Florida 12. Fouled Out _ UCF (Gibson). Technical Fouls _ none. Rebounds _ UCF 25 (Chandler-Roberts 7, Kpetikou, Blasigh 4 each); Florida 49 (Harris 12, Weathersby 11, Jones, McMiller 6 each, Almon 5). Assists _ UCF 11 (Jones, Blasigh 4 each); Florida 10 (Harris 4, Jones 2). Turnovers _ UCF 15; Florida 12. Steals _ UCF 9 (Hurt 3, McFadden 2); Florida 6 (McMiller 4). Blocker Shots _ UCF 5 (Kpetikou 3, Chandler-Roberts 2); Florida 2 (Harris 2).
Up Next:
The Black and Gold returned to Addition Financial Arena to host South Alabama on Monday to begin a big week that sees them hosting Austin Peay at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, LeMoyne on Friday at 5:30 p.m. as the lead-in to a men’s game with Georgia Southern at 8 p.m., and next Tuesday at 11 a.m. against North Florida for it’s annual Education Day Game. The games will be streamed by ESPN+.