By: Jheanelle Wize
Orlando, FL - UCF Men’s Basketball team continues to struggle on their home court, this time against long time rivals USF Bulls on Wednesday night. The Knights came into this one on a 6 game losing streak and were looking to redeem themselves with a home win. Knights Head Coach Donnie Jones dubbed it as “A great rivalry game, we won it twice but didn’t win tonight. Hats off to both teams”, after the devastating loss in this overtime scuffle. |
Isaiah Sykes was in top form as usual for the Knights shooting 50% with 24 points, 5 assists, 1 block and 2 steals in 42 minutes of playing. He had the most minutes of any other player on the court. Sykes said after the game “It was a very tough loss but we are going to stick together and move forward.”
UCF’s forward Tristan Spurlock opened the first half with a flawless 3-point shot, and then the rest of the team responded. The Knights shot a resounding 56% in field goals with 12 points in the paint, compared to USF’s 24. Their biggest struggle was defensive rebounding and second point buckets, falling short to the Bulls at the half. Score USF 37- UCF 36.
The second half picked up at the same pace, but with the Knights struggling from beyond the 3-point line shooting only 11% at 1-9 for the quarter. The Bulls took the lead halfway through the second, but the Knights were relentless in their pursuit and with an amazing layup from Kasey Wilson sending this one into overtime. Score tied at 70-70. After the end of regulation both teams continued their quest with the game tied at 78 with 00:57 seconds left on the clock, it looked like this game was going to double overtime. Then a petty reach-in fouled called on Kasey Wilson from UCF with 00:01 second remaining on the clock sending USF’s Shemiye McLendon to the free throw line. He made the first and missed the second, time runs out.
Final Score Bulls 79- Knights 78.
When asked about the foul in overtime Wilson’s response was “They called it and we can’t get it back, but it was in the heat of the battle.”
The UCF fan-base was overpowering in CFE Arena, cheering on their team until the final seconds, and booing the opposing team on every possession. They were ruthless in their support, even in the tough home loss. They will get another chance to continue to show their support.
The next Knights game will be at home against the Connecticut Huskies on February 9th, televised on ESPN 2.
UCF’s forward Tristan Spurlock opened the first half with a flawless 3-point shot, and then the rest of the team responded. The Knights shot a resounding 56% in field goals with 12 points in the paint, compared to USF’s 24. Their biggest struggle was defensive rebounding and second point buckets, falling short to the Bulls at the half. Score USF 37- UCF 36.
The second half picked up at the same pace, but with the Knights struggling from beyond the 3-point line shooting only 11% at 1-9 for the quarter. The Bulls took the lead halfway through the second, but the Knights were relentless in their pursuit and with an amazing layup from Kasey Wilson sending this one into overtime. Score tied at 70-70. After the end of regulation both teams continued their quest with the game tied at 78 with 00:57 seconds left on the clock, it looked like this game was going to double overtime. Then a petty reach-in fouled called on Kasey Wilson from UCF with 00:01 second remaining on the clock sending USF’s Shemiye McLendon to the free throw line. He made the first and missed the second, time runs out.
Final Score Bulls 79- Knights 78.
When asked about the foul in overtime Wilson’s response was “They called it and we can’t get it back, but it was in the heat of the battle.”
The UCF fan-base was overpowering in CFE Arena, cheering on their team until the final seconds, and booing the opposing team on every possession. They were ruthless in their support, even in the tough home loss. They will get another chance to continue to show their support.
The next Knights game will be at home against the Connecticut Huskies on February 9th, televised on ESPN 2.