By Erik Slaby
On a cool afternoon here in Orlando, at CFE Arena, the University of Central Florida Knights defeated the University of Houston Cougars, 77-70. Early on, it seemed like it would be a blowout win for UCF. UCF had the lead for the entire game but in the second half, Houston showed some fight and made the game close.
In the first half, UCF got off to a lightning quick start with a 10-0 run. Eight of those points were scored by guard Matt Williams. Houston got off to a little bit slower start but they fought back and by the end of the first half, had cut the UCF lead to five points, 34-29. UCF did struggle in the latter part of the first half with turnovers as they finished with 12, compared to the four turnovers Houston had.
UCF was led by forward Tank Efianayi, who had 10 points in the first half. A.J. Davis led all players in rebounds with seven. Houston was led by guard Rob Gray Jr. who led all scorers in the first half with 11 points.
In the second half, with 16:33 left to play in the game, Houston guard Damyean Dotson drilled a huge three pointer to bring the score to 40-39, UCF. At that point, the crowd had gotten a bit quiet and tension was beginning to seep into the air. It felt like UCF was in danger of losing momentum and the lead. That’s when UCF center Tacko Fall struck back.
On the very next possession, UCF drove the ball down the court and UCF’s 7’ 6” center, Fall, brought the crowd back into the game with a thunderous dunk. That dunk also brought the momentum back to them as that started an 11-0 run for UCF. After that point, the closest Houston ever came to taking the lead was when UCF was up 70-67, late in the game.
By the end, UCF had all five of their starters score in double figures. UCF was led by guard B.J. Taylor, who led the team in scoring with 20 points. Fellow guard A.J. Davis and Efianayi both added 15 points apiece, Fall had 11 points and Williams finished with 10. Davis also led the team in rebounds with eight.
While UCF played very well offensively, they did have issues with turnover as they finished with 20 for the game. This will be something that they will need to improve upon, or it could come back and bite them.
Houston was led by Gray Jr. who led all scorers with 28 points. Fellow guard Galen Robinson Jr. added 20 points and Dotson finished with 10 points. Dotson also led the team in rebounding with eight. Even though Houston was able to come back and put up a fight, it was not enough.
UCF has a quick turnaround as their next game is on Tuesday, January 17th against their rival, the University of South Florida Bulls at 7PM EST here at CFE Arena. Houston will travel back home to the Hofheinz Pavilion to take on the University of Memphis Tigers on January 19th, at 9PM EST.
In the first half, UCF got off to a lightning quick start with a 10-0 run. Eight of those points were scored by guard Matt Williams. Houston got off to a little bit slower start but they fought back and by the end of the first half, had cut the UCF lead to five points, 34-29. UCF did struggle in the latter part of the first half with turnovers as they finished with 12, compared to the four turnovers Houston had.
UCF was led by forward Tank Efianayi, who had 10 points in the first half. A.J. Davis led all players in rebounds with seven. Houston was led by guard Rob Gray Jr. who led all scorers in the first half with 11 points.
In the second half, with 16:33 left to play in the game, Houston guard Damyean Dotson drilled a huge three pointer to bring the score to 40-39, UCF. At that point, the crowd had gotten a bit quiet and tension was beginning to seep into the air. It felt like UCF was in danger of losing momentum and the lead. That’s when UCF center Tacko Fall struck back.
On the very next possession, UCF drove the ball down the court and UCF’s 7’ 6” center, Fall, brought the crowd back into the game with a thunderous dunk. That dunk also brought the momentum back to them as that started an 11-0 run for UCF. After that point, the closest Houston ever came to taking the lead was when UCF was up 70-67, late in the game.
By the end, UCF had all five of their starters score in double figures. UCF was led by guard B.J. Taylor, who led the team in scoring with 20 points. Fellow guard A.J. Davis and Efianayi both added 15 points apiece, Fall had 11 points and Williams finished with 10. Davis also led the team in rebounds with eight.
While UCF played very well offensively, they did have issues with turnover as they finished with 20 for the game. This will be something that they will need to improve upon, or it could come back and bite them.
Houston was led by Gray Jr. who led all scorers with 28 points. Fellow guard Galen Robinson Jr. added 20 points and Dotson finished with 10 points. Dotson also led the team in rebounding with eight. Even though Houston was able to come back and put up a fight, it was not enough.
UCF has a quick turnaround as their next game is on Tuesday, January 17th against their rival, the University of South Florida Bulls at 7PM EST here at CFE Arena. Houston will travel back home to the Hofheinz Pavilion to take on the University of Memphis Tigers on January 19th, at 9PM EST.