Marquette women’s basketball fell short in Cara Consuegra’s head coaching debut.
The UCF Golden Knights (2-0) bested the Golden Eagles (0-1) 57-50 behind first-year Emely Rodriguez’s 18 points and 7 rebounds Thursday night in Orlando, Florida.
UCF took a 6-5 lead on a made jumper by Achol Akot with 6:34 in the opening quarter and never looked back. With 6:07 left in the second quarter, a Rodriguez layup gave UCF a 27-14 lead. However, the Golden Eagles showed resilience, cutting the game to 27-22 at the half.
UCF’s size allowed them to out-rebound Marquette 38-26. Hannah Gusters, a 6-foot-5 senior, led the Golden Knights with 12 rebounds and added 9 points.