ORLANDO, Fla. – After a hard-fought game on their second-straight day of play, the UCF Knights’ chances at an NCAA tournament berth came to a close.
After keeping the scoreline at a reasonable distance for most of the game, the UCF Knights succumbed to a late second-half run by the No. 21 University of Houston (25-6). Simultaneously, the Cougars blew away the Knights’ chances at an American Athletic Conference tournament championship run, winning 84-56 at the Amway Center Friday night.
Redshirt junior B.J. Taylor did his best to keep the Knights (19-13) in the game, scoring a game-high 20 points. But it wasn’t enough, as he and redshirt freshman Ceasar DeJesus finished as the only double-digit scorers.
“I just wanted to lay it all on the line for my team,” Taylor said after the game. “In that second half, it was the last 20 minutes to try to make the NCAA tournament. So, that’s the only thing that was going through my mind—was just leave it all out there on the floor for my team and my brothers.”
Houston was led by four players in double figures, including a tandem of guards in Galen Robinson Jr., who scored a team-high 18 points, and Rob Gray, who finished with 17 points.
The nationally ranked Cougars came out of the gates confident, hitting a number of tough shots to open up the game. UCF started a hot streak from downtown early on, hitting back-to-back-to-back 3s for its opening field goals.
UCF started a run of their own, forcing Houston into four-straight turnovers and cut Houston’s lead to 10 points by the 2:43 mark in the opening period. However, the Cougars finished out the frame with an 8-2 run, pushing their lead to 13 just before the end of the half. The Cougars held UCF to 36 percent shooting from the field.
The second half started with the Knights cutting the deficit to as low as eight points, mostly thanks to Taylor, who scored seven of his team’s first nine points to open the half. But Houston matched that with a 6-0 run to push its lead back to double digits with just over 12 minutes to play.
A 21-9 run inside a six-minute span for Houston sealed the fate for the Knights with two minutes to go. With 1:58 to go, head coach Johnny Dawkins played his reserves, as Houston then held a 24-point lead.
“Well, Houston’s a very good basketball team, and I thought they got off to a fast start,” Dawkins said after the game. “That’s difficult in the first day, but they have so many guys that are capable of making shots, and they did. You have to tip your hat to what they were able to do, getting off to a good start.
“I thought our guys, as always, competed, gave a winning effort. I just thought that it was hard to sustain that for 40 minutes at the level they were and at the pace they were playing. So, I thought we got a little bit tired in the second half trying to keep playing catch-up, and that’s a credit to them for keeping their foot on the gas. Their guys were running hard, cutting hard, and they played really good basketball tonight.”
Who’s Next?
The Knights concluded their season with a 19-13 record, including going 9-9 in conference play.
For more on the Knights, as they enter the offseason, follow Austin David on Twitter at @AustinDavid22.
