Abrahamson-Henderson leads Knights to first WNIT
The UCF basketball team has been invited to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament for the first time in school history.
The program has surged under first-year coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and UCF is making its first significant postseason appearance since the Knights reached the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
“I’m excited for our players, especially our returners,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “It’s a lot of fun to be able to keep playing right now. It’s a great experience for the whole team, but it’s very special for the seniors. They get to extend their careers.”
The Knights (20-11) will host Stetson (26-6) Thursday. Tipoff times will be announced later today. The 64-team WNIT field was released Monday night.
Stetson’s 26 victories are the second-highest singleseason win total in school history and one shy of the mark set by the 2013-14 team. The Hatters won the Atlantic Sun regular-season title for the first time in school history and feature the A-Sun Player of the Year Brianti Saunders, Defensive Player of the Year Sarah Sagerer and Coach of the Year Lynn Bria.
Abrahamson-Henderson, 50, won the WNIT in 2005 during her tenure as head coach at Missouri State University.
Since joining the Knights, she’s helped dramatically to improve the program, which won just 19 games in the past four seasons. UCF was projected to finish in eighth place in the American Athletic Conference but wound up fourth.
The Knights posted a 9-7 record in American Athletic Conference play, including an upset over then-No. 22 USF.
UCF guards Aliyah Gregory and Zykira Lewis were named to all-AAC teams while Lewis became the Knights’ career leader for 3-pointers made (265).
Players had a chance to get some rest and practice time during the past week since returning from the AAC tournament in Connecticut March 6. UCF lost 78-56 to eventual champion and No. 1-ranked UConn.
“It’s my first time playing in the postseason as a Knight,” Lewis said. “I’m excited to continue playing with my teammates.”
This is the first time in school history that both the UCF men’s and women’s basketball teams will compete in the NIT in the same year.