Written by Erik Slaby
Charleston, SC- In the final game of the second day of the Charleston Classic tournament, the UCF Knights defeated the College of Charleston Cougars, 60-40. UCF now advances to the championship match of the Charleston Classic Tournament. It was a tough, physical battle between these two teams and at times, it looked Charleston would be able to come back and get the win but UCF answered every time.
At the end of the first half, UCF led 28-21 in a close, fast-tempo game. In the early going, it was apparent that Charleston was going to be very physical against 7’, 6” center Tacko Fall of UCF and not let him beat them. It seemed to work as Fall only played nine minutes in the half, had three points, two rebounds and two fouls. With the attention focused on Fall though, Charleston had trouble defending the other members of UCF. Even when Fall wasn’t in the game.
Guard Matt Williams led the charge for UCF, scoring 10 points and adding four rebounds. He led all scorers in the first half. Forward Nick Banyard led the team with five rebounds and guard B.J. Taylor added six points but he also had two turnovers, after not having any against Mississippi State the previous night. Turnovers were an issue for UCF as they had nine in the first half, compared to four by Charleston.
Charleston was led by guards Jarrell Brantley and Joe Chealey who had six points apiece. Even though Charleston was playing defense fairly well and were winning the turnover battle, Charleston struggled to make shots as the UCF was constantly around the ball. UCF also out-rebounded Charleston 19-13 in the half.
In the second half, UCF scored 32 points and held Charleston to 19 points. UCF was led by Taylor, who had 21 points. Williams and forward Tank Efianayi finished with 10 points apiece. Banyard led the team in rebounds with 10 and Fall nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. He also blocked four shots to lead UCF in that category. Even though UCF was able to win, they struggled on with turnovers as they had 17. On the positive side though, they out-rebounded Charleston 41 to 28.
Charleston was led by Brantley and guard Grant Riller who each had 11 points. They were the only Charleston players to score in double-digits. Brantley also had eight rebounds to lead the team. The biggest issue for Charleston this evening was their inability to make shots. They won the turnover battle and while the UCF defense played well, when Charleston had open looks, they failed to convert on them. For the game, Charleston only made 15 of 56 attempted shots. While in comparison, UCF made 21 of 41 attempted shots.
UCF will face off against the University of Villanova Wildcats, Sunday at 9:30 PM EST here at TD Arena, in the championship match of the Charleston Classic. Charleston will play the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons on Sunday here at TD Arena, at 7PM EST.
At the end of the first half, UCF led 28-21 in a close, fast-tempo game. In the early going, it was apparent that Charleston was going to be very physical against 7’, 6” center Tacko Fall of UCF and not let him beat them. It seemed to work as Fall only played nine minutes in the half, had three points, two rebounds and two fouls. With the attention focused on Fall though, Charleston had trouble defending the other members of UCF. Even when Fall wasn’t in the game.
Guard Matt Williams led the charge for UCF, scoring 10 points and adding four rebounds. He led all scorers in the first half. Forward Nick Banyard led the team with five rebounds and guard B.J. Taylor added six points but he also had two turnovers, after not having any against Mississippi State the previous night. Turnovers were an issue for UCF as they had nine in the first half, compared to four by Charleston.
Charleston was led by guards Jarrell Brantley and Joe Chealey who had six points apiece. Even though Charleston was playing defense fairly well and were winning the turnover battle, Charleston struggled to make shots as the UCF was constantly around the ball. UCF also out-rebounded Charleston 19-13 in the half.
In the second half, UCF scored 32 points and held Charleston to 19 points. UCF was led by Taylor, who had 21 points. Williams and forward Tank Efianayi finished with 10 points apiece. Banyard led the team in rebounds with 10 and Fall nearly had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. He also blocked four shots to lead UCF in that category. Even though UCF was able to win, they struggled on with turnovers as they had 17. On the positive side though, they out-rebounded Charleston 41 to 28.
Charleston was led by Brantley and guard Grant Riller who each had 11 points. They were the only Charleston players to score in double-digits. Brantley also had eight rebounds to lead the team. The biggest issue for Charleston this evening was their inability to make shots. They won the turnover battle and while the UCF defense played well, when Charleston had open looks, they failed to convert on them. For the game, Charleston only made 15 of 56 attempted shots. While in comparison, UCF made 21 of 41 attempted shots.
UCF will face off against the University of Villanova Wildcats, Sunday at 9:30 PM EST here at TD Arena, in the championship match of the Charleston Classic. Charleston will play the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons on Sunday here at TD Arena, at 7PM EST.