By: Jetta Rose
Orlando, FL- Tonight the UCF Knights faced off against Rutgers’ Scarlett Knights at the CFE Arena blacktop. The last time these two teams met Rutgers took the win by ten points, but today’s game followed a three-game losing streak for Rutgers. The last win for both teams was when they each faced off against USF, but tonight was a battle of Knight vs. Knight, and it was fierce from the first minute all the way through the final buzzer.
In the first five minutes Rutgers took an 8-2 lead with one three-pointer and fifty percent shot accuracy. On UCF’s side Isaiah Sykes had his first personal foul and missed three of four attempted layups. Down by two and with a mere eleven percent shot accuracy, UCF’s Tristan Spurlock made the first dunk of the game assisted by #32 Kasey Wilson.
UCF was down by two with less than twelve minutes remaining as star player Isaiah Sykes took on his second personal foul of the game; Rutgers’ Wally Judge not far behind with the same amount of fouls. A little under six minutes left in the first half with UCF and Rutgers tied at 22 points and both teams have amassed four personal fouls, each dropping under fifty percent shooting averages. At the end of the first half, Rutgers led the game by nine with J.J Moore sinking three point shots. Tristan Spurlock carried UCF with three-pointers after with the score tied three times in the first half with two lead changes.
Twenty seconds into the second half Isaiah Sykes missed a layup but thankfully Justin McBride was there to save him with a rebound and layup. Rutgers’ Wally Judge earned another foul while Justin McBride scored a free throw for the Scarlet Knights. At the sixteen-minute mark, Rutgers was up by ten and maintaining a strong shooting average of just over fifty percent. It seemed like Isaiah Sykes and Wally Judge were playing for the most fouls, with Sykes just behind Judge with three fouls.
Seven and a half minutes left in the second half and Rutgers once again takes the lead, this time by a hefty nine points. Rutgers gained ten fouls in just under fifteen minutes during the second half as Tristan Spurlock scored a strong three pointer for UCF with an assist from Calvin Newell. Just under five minutes remaining in the second half and Kadeem Jack makes a smooth layup, bringing the score to 59-51 Rutgers. Isaiah Sykes comes back in to replace Matt Williams with just over four minutes left in the game, but misses a layup as Rutgers’ Myles Mack rebounds with three minutes left on the clock.
Rutgers leads by three points as the second half drops down to two minutes remaining. J.J Moore misses a three pointer and UCF’s Isaiah Sykes stole a layup, leaving UCF trailing by one point at just over a minute left in the game. Sykes makes a layup with forty seconds left on the clock, bringing UCF back to the lead by one at 64-63. Rutgers calls a timeout with thirty-six seconds on the clock, hoping to bring in a game-changer and take the lead, but Rutgers’ Myles Mack misses a layup leaving the recovery wide open for UCF’s Kasey Wilson, who calls a timeout with just twenty-one seconds on the clock.
The UCF Knights bring it home in the last few seconds of the game with a free throw by Tristan Spurlock after Rutgers’ J.J Moore misses a three pointer. What a comeback for UCF after a hard loss to the Scarlet Knights back in January. This was a great game for the UCF Knights, who couldn’t have asked for a better outcome; they played like they wanted it and they definitely earned this win. In the end, Rutgers is going home with yet another loss before their face off with USF next week, while UCF will sleep good tonight, with another win under their belts, as they prepare to play SMU next week.