Orlando, Fla. – The Knights were unable to snap their run of bad luck Wednesday night, suffering an almost unforgivable defeat at the hands of in state rival USF 79-78 in the final seconds of overtime.
It was the first time in 6 games that UCF played an unranked opponent, and having lost all 6 of those, the Knights were in dire need for a victory on their home turf. They managed to play at a much more competitive level, trading blow for blow with USF the entire game – both regulation and overtime. There were 11 lead changes to back this up.
Tied at 78 with under a minute left on the clock, Kasey Williams was called for a personal foul to set up two USF free throw attempts with 0.8 seconds left to play. It was a death sentence for the Knights, who were unable to sink their Hail-Mary of a shot before the buzzer screamed defeat for them.
“That’s the way it’s going to go sometimes,” said Coach Donnie Jones. “We have to learn.”
In their seventh consecutive loss, UCF was outrebounded with ease, leading to a significant differential in shot attempts. The Knights actually ended the game with the better shooting percentage, 51.7% to USF’s 50.7%, but were damned by the lack of shots.
Isiah Sykes led the team with 24 points and 12 rebounds, his 3rd double-double of the season and his 8th time leading the squad in points.
“They won the game, no excuses,” Sykes said. “It was a great game to me.”
Headed into overtime UCF held the momentum, having just tied the game after trailing for the majority of the contest, though never by more than 8 points. It was USF who took control however, going up 78-76 on UCF before surrendering the lead.
The toughest part about the loss is that it was delivered at the free throw line with almost no hope of redemption. For a full minute of real-time before game-time expired, the Knights had their fate laid out before them. To battle back and force overtime before losing with under a second on the clock is as demoralizing as it gets.
“It’s very tough. But we’re gonna stick together, you know?” Sykes said. He pledged that he and the rest of the Knights would be stepping it up for the rest of the season, something they will have to do if they wish to rise from the cellar of the American Athletic Conference.
UCF next plays on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. at home, matching up against UCONN, who is 5-3 within the conference and 17-5 overall.
