Marcus Jordan hit some clutch shots down the stretch and UCF held Marshall to without a field goal for nearly four minutes late in the second half as No. 18/19 UCF defeated Marshall 65-58 to improve to 14-0 on the season.
The Knights held Marshall to just 10 field goals in the second half as a suffocating defense helped the Donnie Jones’ team defeat his former squad and improve to 1-0 in Conference USA play.
Jordan scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Knights, including an array of three-point plays at the basket that brought the crowd of 9,094 — third largest in UCF history — to their feet.
Trailing 42-46 with 7:34 left in the game, Keith Clanton hit a layup under the basket to pull the Knights to within two. Then Jordan took over. The sophomore had a number of drives to the baskets and a couple of highlight reels layups that led to 3-point plays. His free throw with 6:44 left gave UCF a 47-46 lead and with 3:15 left in the game, gave the Knights a 56-48 lead off a lay-in, one they would hold on to for good.
Tom Herzog had a big game for the Knights defensively, grabbing nine boards and blocking four shots in the game. UCF totaled 11 blocks in the contest. Clanton struggled from the floor in the first half but got it going in the second half, scoring 10 of his 14 points after the break.
The Knights held DeAndre Kane, Marshall’s leading scorer, to just five points on 2-of-9 shooting in the game. Shaquille Johnson was the high man for the herd, scoring 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field.
UCF was killed off the dribble in the first half. Marshall scored 18 points in the paint, including 10 points from forward Tirell Baines as both teams went in tied at 28 at the half. Marcus Jordan looked good in the opening period, scoring eight points to lead the Knights on 4-of-10 shooting. The Knights held Marshall to 40.7 percent shooting in the first half.
FOR MORE PHOTOS, CHECK OUT THE NEXT PAGE.
