OVIEDO, Fla. (Interstat) — The UCF Knights used a dominant third-quarter surge to pull away from the Florida International Golden Panthers and secure a 79-61 victory in a non-conference women’s basketball game Tuesday afternoon at CFE Arena.

A tight contest through the first half saw UCF take a 32-27 lead into the locker room. The Knights then seized control of the game after halftime, outscoring the Golden Panthers 22-10 in the third quarter to build an insurmountable 54-37 advantage. Florida International mounted a late charge, scoring 24 points in the final period, but the deficit was too large to overcome as UCF closed out the win.

The Knights’ offense was led by a trio of double-digit scorers. Jacorriah Bracey, a 5-foot-9 guard from Drew, Mississippi, paced all scorers with 17 points in 29 minutes, adding two assists. She was complemented by Leah Harmon, a 5-6 guard from Paterson, New Jersey, who tallied 15 points and a game-high five assists in 26 minutes. Samari Bankhead, a 6-foot forward from Los Angeles, rounded out the key contributors with 13 points and four assists.

UCF’s efficiency was a decisive factor. The Knights shot 46.6 percent from the floor, connecting on 27 of 58 attempts, and were nearly flawless from the free-throw line, making 18 of 20 attempts. They also capitalized on their possessions, scoring 79 points on 74 trips for an offensive rating of 106.0.

Florida International was led by the scoring of Parris Atkins, a 5-8 guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, who finished with a team-high 20 points in just 24 minutes of action. Claudia Marina Gonzalez, a 5-11 guard from Madrid, Spain, added 12 points in a team-high 35 minutes. Rhema Collins, a 6-2 forward from Nassau, Bahamas, provided a strong presence inside with 14 points.

The Golden Panthers struggled with their shooting, making only 20 of 57 field goal attempts for a 35.1 percent clip. They also committed 16 turnovers, which hampered their offensive flow throughout the game. Despite the loss, Florida International won the battle for assists, dishing out eight to UCF’s four, and matched the Knights with eight steals.

UCF improved its season record to 2-1 with the victory, while Florida International fell to 1-2.

The Knights return to action Friday at home against Florida A&M. The Golden Panthers look to rebound on the road Saturday at Jacksonville.