Written by Austin Fackler
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Orlando, FL - In UCF’s home opener against the Mercer Bears, the Knights were looking to build on what was their best season in over a decade, in the Knights first year under head coach Johnny Dawkins the team went 24-12 and for the first time in five years earned a postseason berth participating in the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.
Their first game of the 2017-2018 campaign would not be easy as Mercer came out strong playing tough defense to go hand in hand with solid offense. In the end the Knight would be too much for Mercer, as UCF picked up the 88-79 win despite losing star BJ Taylor late in the 2nd half. Here is how it all went down.
For Mercer, it was Senior Guard Ria’n Holland that got the Bears off to a hot start, leading the team to a 24-22 advantage half way through the first quarter. That was when the Knights turned up the intensity, going on a 15-11 run to claim the lead with 4:30 to go in the first half.
With just under a minute remaining in the first half Mercer’s Jordan Strawberry hit a big three that gave the Bears the lead 47-44, after B.J. Taylor converted a pair of free throws that cut Mercers lead to 47-46 at halftime. Taylor lead the Knights in scoring in the first half with 10 points and 4 assists, however, the story of the first half was Mercer’s Ria’n Holland, who lead all scorers with 21 points while shooting 50 percent from the field which included five three pointers.
Coming out of halftime, the Knights turned up the defensive intensity protecting the rim racking up 6 blocks and 7 steals. UCF was able to force Mercer to take poor shots, which allowed the Knights to get easy fast break opportunities, a category in which they outscored Mercer 13-0. Those fast break points helped the Knights extend their lead early in the second half to 8. The defense only intensified for UCF as the game went on, forcing five turnovers in a four-minute span, the Knights open up a 16-point lead mid-way through the second half.
After starting point guard B.J. Taylor went out mid-way through the second half Mercer saw it as an opportunity to make a comeback. They started to cut into the lead getting it down to as low as 6 points in the final minutes, however the Knights lead was too much to overcome as UCF took their home opener by a final score of 88-79.
After the Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins was asked how he felt his team played he responded by saying, “It was a great first game, “We knew Mercer was very good. They've been battle tested. So we knew it was a game that we would have to win that they weren't going to give us the game.”
UCF will now look ahead to their matchup with Gardner-Webb next Tuesday in Orlando, FL. Gardner-Webb lost their first game of the season in a rout to No. 13 Miami on Friday night.
Their first game of the 2017-2018 campaign would not be easy as Mercer came out strong playing tough defense to go hand in hand with solid offense. In the end the Knight would be too much for Mercer, as UCF picked up the 88-79 win despite losing star BJ Taylor late in the 2nd half. Here is how it all went down.
For Mercer, it was Senior Guard Ria’n Holland that got the Bears off to a hot start, leading the team to a 24-22 advantage half way through the first quarter. That was when the Knights turned up the intensity, going on a 15-11 run to claim the lead with 4:30 to go in the first half.
With just under a minute remaining in the first half Mercer’s Jordan Strawberry hit a big three that gave the Bears the lead 47-44, after B.J. Taylor converted a pair of free throws that cut Mercers lead to 47-46 at halftime. Taylor lead the Knights in scoring in the first half with 10 points and 4 assists, however, the story of the first half was Mercer’s Ria’n Holland, who lead all scorers with 21 points while shooting 50 percent from the field which included five three pointers.
Coming out of halftime, the Knights turned up the defensive intensity protecting the rim racking up 6 blocks and 7 steals. UCF was able to force Mercer to take poor shots, which allowed the Knights to get easy fast break opportunities, a category in which they outscored Mercer 13-0. Those fast break points helped the Knights extend their lead early in the second half to 8. The defense only intensified for UCF as the game went on, forcing five turnovers in a four-minute span, the Knights open up a 16-point lead mid-way through the second half.
After starting point guard B.J. Taylor went out mid-way through the second half Mercer saw it as an opportunity to make a comeback. They started to cut into the lead getting it down to as low as 6 points in the final minutes, however the Knights lead was too much to overcome as UCF took their home opener by a final score of 88-79.
After the Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins was asked how he felt his team played he responded by saying, “It was a great first game, “We knew Mercer was very good. They've been battle tested. So we knew it was a game that we would have to win that they weren't going to give us the game.”
UCF will now look ahead to their matchup with Gardner-Webb next Tuesday in Orlando, FL. Gardner-Webb lost their first game of the season in a rout to No. 13 Miami on Friday night.