Down 17 points with 15:38 remaining in regulation, the UCF Men’s Basketball team used a furious 17-2 rally, fueled by Marcus Jordan, to stun the defending national champion UConn Huskies Friday.
What a week for the UCF Men’s Basketball team.
First, the team received news from the NCAA that captain point guard A.J. Rompza will be reinstated by Dec. 30.
Now, the Knights (4-1) earned arguably their biggest win in program history Friday afternoon, shocking the No. 4 UConn Huskies, 68-63, in the semifinals of the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. It was the Knights third time beating a ranked opponent in program history.
The Knights handed UConn (5-1) its first loss since March 5 against Notre Dame and snapped the Huskies 16-game victory streak, which was the longest winning streak in college basketball.
“I am really just proud of my team and how they fought back when we were down with 14 minutes to go in the game,” UCF head coach Donnie Jones said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com. “We put in a great effort and we just kept fighting and we were fortunate that the ball bounced our way at the end of the stretch.”
Despite the upset, UCF appeared to be overmatched by the Huskies length and size in the frontcourt in the second half when No. 4 UConn built a 50-33 lead early in the final half.
But, the Knights used a huge run, scoring 17 of the next 19 points to get within two points. The spurt was capped off by a Marcus Jordan layup and two free throws that gave the Knights a 58-57 advantage late in the game.
The Huskies simply couldn’t put the Knights away, which allowed UCF to get back in the game. Four more foul shots by Jordan helped the Knights secure the upset.
After trailing 38-29 in the first half, the Knights were able to outscore the Huskies 39-25 in the second half.
Once again, the inside-out duo of Jordan and forward Keith Clanton carried the load for the Knights. The dynamic junior duo combined for 40 points and 13 rebounds in the game.
Jordan finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, ultimately fueling the Knights with his second half heroics. Jordan has appeared to have taken his talents to the next level with his strong early-season play. He now has 37 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds through the first two games of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
Clanton ended with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals. Sophomore point guard Isaiah Sykes chipped in with 10 points and four boards.
UCF was also able to fix some of the early-season issues that have hurt them so far- three-point shooting and free throw shooting. The Knights shot 17-of-21 from the charity stripe and seven-of-17 from beyond the arc.
The UCF defense also stepped up big in the contest, holding the Huskies to two-of-18 shooting from the perimeter, while also forcing 15 turnovers.
“I am proud of the defense that everyone played. I think the old cliché is good defense wins championships. I think everyone stepped up and played the best they could and ultimately we won,” Jordan said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com.
Overall, it was a great game for the UCF basketball program. They notched one of their biggest victories in school history, while also showing a great resiliency to comeback late in the game against an elite opponent.
The Knights advanced to the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and will either play Florida State or Harvard, depending on the outcome of that game.
