UCF won the opening tipoff, and BJ Taylor pulled up a triple that came up short. Then Tacko Fall was called for an over the back foul on the rebound giving the ball to Cincinnati. The Bearcats opening possession didn’t end in great prosperity either as UCF was able to force them into a shot clock violation. In fact neither team was able to find their footing fast as with 3 minutes expired in the game we were still scoreless.
Cincy was finally able to break the scoreless affair with Jacob Evans draining two free throws after a blocking foul was called on BJ Taylor. Then it was Tacko Fall getting to the line and making one of two to make it 2-1 with 16:37 left in the half. Following that was a triple from Cincy’s Kevin Johnson to give the Bearcats a 4-point lead.
The Knights answered two possessions later as BJ Taylor hit a triple of his own to once again cut it to a 1-point game. Then it was the Bearcats hitting a layup ad a triple to take a 6-point lead before the Knights really got things going.
Tank Efianayi hit a triple to start a 15-3 run for the Knights that put them up 19-13 with 7:55 left in the 1st half. Then it was 6 straight points for the Bearcats as they quickly tied the game back up at 19. With 3:09 left to play, Cincinnati had taken a 22-21 lead on UCF. Matt Williams then hit a triple to put the Knights back on top, and Troy Caupin followed suit for the Bearcats with a triple of his own.
BJ Taylor accounted for the final 6 points for the Knights ahead of halftime as UCF went into the locker room with a 30-27 lead. In total, Taylor ended the first half with a team-high 17 points. For Cincy, it was Cumberland with 10 points
Cincinnati scored the first basket of the 2nd half with a layup by Jacob Evans. The Knights started off the second half where they left off in the first half as BJ Taylor hit a triple to give him 20 points in the game up to this point. Then it was Tacko Fall slamming home a one handed jam to make it 35-29.
However, back-to-back triples for Cincinnati would tie this one up at 35. Then it was the Knights going on a 7-0 run, forcing the Bearcats to take a timeout with 13:04 left in regulation. The timeout was not effective out of the break as Tacko Fall blocked Kyle Washington’s shot and then AJ Davis went down and put in a jumper for the Knights. With 11:55 left on the clock, UCF had jumped out to a 46-35 lead on the Bearcats.
Things then started to slip away from the Knights a bit as Cincy came back with 7 unanswered points to cut it to a 4 point game with just 7:23 left to play. This was just the start of UCF’s scoring drought. With 2:37 left on the clock Jacob Evans hit a triple for Cincy to make it 48-46 with UCF on top. That marked an 11-2 run by the Bearcats to make it just a one score game.
Both teams refused the give up an inch, resulting in a scoreless next two minutes. After that, it was BJ Taylor hitting a triple with just 33 seconds left to make it 51-46 and sending the home fans at CFE Arena into a frenzy. With 13 seconds left Jacob Evans hit another triple to make it just a one score game. A foul by Cincy sent BJ Taylor to the line for the 1 and 1. He missed the shot, and the Bearcats stormed down the court. That’s when Tre Scott missed the ally-oop dunk that would have tied the game up.
Tacko Fall gathered the rebound and was fouled. He went to the line with the pressure on a delivered, hitting both free throws to make it a 4 point game with just 2 seconds left to play. This sealed the Knights first win over a ranked opponent since 2011 when they beat No. 4 UConn in the Bahamas.
It was a coming out part of sorts as the Knights faithful rushed the hardwood in elation. It was seeing the promises come to fruition and the relief of the hard work paying off all at once. As Senior Matt Williams surfed the crowd and Tacko Fall jumped up and down in the middle of the court towering over everyone, you could see it to be true that UCF Basketball has turned the corner and is on the rise, one to be reckoned with.
The signature win for the Knights comes in almost perfect timing you could say as they prepare for their final game of the season and turn their focus to making some noise in the American Athletic Conference Tournament in March.
UCF wraps up the regular season on Thursday when they head west on I-4 to face rivals USF. The time those two met was in January, and the Knights ran the Bulls out of town with a 22 point victory. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted on ESPNU.