ORLANDO, Fla. – Two games into the 2018-19 campaign, and the UCF Knights are already experiencing growing pains. For the first time in third-year head coach Johnny Dawkins’ stint at UCF, the Knights have opened their season with a 1-1 record after starting the 2017-18 and 2016-17 seasons 4-0 and 3-0, respectively.

UCF’s unprecedented, early-season loss came after Florida Atlantic University forward Simeon Lepichev scored a last-second, put-back layup to help the Owls overcome a 20-point deficit and complete an 80-79 win on Nov. 11 in CFE Arena in front of 4,304 fans.

Dawkins didn’t mince words after the game, saying his team played with less passion than the Owls (2-0).

“I thought FAU played with more passion and desire than we did tonight, and that’s disappointing,” Dawkins said after the loss. “I mean, that’s the one thing that both teams should have at a high level. And I didn’t think we had it at the level we needed to, and they did. And I thought that was the difference.”

The Knights’ (1-1) downfall was, perhaps, their complacency; more so, it was UCF’s inability to put the game away despite double-digit leads throughout the game.

The Knights started the mid-afternoon bout by springing to a 12-0 lead after a little over four minutes of play. They eventually increased that lead to as high as 20 points with 8:38 to play in the first half and ultimately held a 10-point lead with under six minutes to play.

For Dawkins, his Knights are lacking a “killer instinct.”

“You know, for our team, we’re still learning to try to have a killer instinct and what that means,” Dawkins said. “What that means is you keep the foot on the pedal, you know, all the way mashed down. You know, you don’t just let up off the gas pedal.

“You know, when you’re building leads like that, and you have momentum, you have to keep it going. And that’s developing a killer instinct. And that takes maturity. This team has never been in that position before. So, some of it is they having to learn through these experiences. Unfortunately, some of these experiences can be tough.”

UCF point guard B.J. Taylor was an anomaly among a Knights team that was otherwise scoreless in the final six minutes of play. Taylor recorded UCF’s final 11 points in the final 5:51, scoring four go-ahead buckets in the last three minutes.

Taylor began his personal scoring run by extending UCF’s lead to 10 points with an inside score. Then, the Owls went on an 11-0 run that included three 3-pointers to take a 71-70 lead. After Taylor and Owls forward Xavian Stapleton and guard Anthony Adger traded lead-exchanging buckets, Taylor scored a seemingly game-winning, contested layup with seven seconds to go.

Without calling a timeout, the Owls sprinted down the court, as guard Michael Forrest attempted a baseline, fade-away jumper that missed the rim. Lepichev was there for the recovery and the winning basket with 0.8 seconds left on the clock.

“We didn’t get stops that we need to get on defense,” Taylor said after the game. “Our whole system is predicated on defense, and we didn’t get the stops that we needed to get. They air-ball the last shot, goes over the hoop, guy tips it in.

“But I think we didn’t get the stops that we need to get, so, going into practice next week, we gotta focus on getting back to defense.”

The same issues that haunted UCF in its season-opening victory over Rider University on Nov. 6 reanimated in Game 2 against FAU.

UCF had difficulty defending the 3-point shot, allowing the Owls to shoot 12-for-34 (35.3 percent), including shooting 4-for-6 in the final six minutes. The Knights also suffered on the boards, as FAU out-rebounded UCF 40-38 (17-12 offensive).

“We gotta be stronger on the glass and boxing out. That’s something we have to work on in practice,” Knights guard Aubrey Dawkins, who collected five rebounds, said after the loss. “We knew they were going to come in hard. They have athletes on the wing [that can] run and jump, and they did just that.”

Shooting the 3 ball has also been difficult for the Knights. UCF has mostly relied on scoring inside the paint, tallying 82 of its first 163 points down low while shooting 11-for-42 (26.2 percent) from 3 in the early-season going. Against FAU, UCF shot 6-for-20 from distance.

The Knights’ long-ball success — or lack thereof — has been a disappointment for Johnny, so far.

“Yeah, you know, I have been [disappointed with the team’s 3-point shooting],” the head coach said. “We haven’t shot the ball as well as I think we’re capable of and as well as I would like, of course. I thought we’ve had some good looks, you know? And that’s something I’m a little bit surprised [by].

“But that’s part of it. You know, like I said, it’s new for some of the guys out there. Using my son for example — I mean, there are things that are gonna happen. You can’t sit two years from…competitive basketball, walk back out there and have everything be perfect. ‘Cause it’s not gonna happen. It’s gonna be a process.”

Taylor finished his night with his second-highest points total, 29 points, in his collegiate career, shooting 9-for-14 from the field, 1-for-3 from deep and 10-for-12 at the free-throw line. Aubrey was UCF’s only other double-digit scorer, going 6-for-16 from the field, 1-for-6 from 3 and 3-for-3 at the line for 16 points.

Who’s Next?

The Knights will travel to play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational for their next competition, beginning with the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

For more on the Knights, as they look to bounce back from their worst start since the 2015-16 season, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.