Orlando, Fla. – Redshirt sophomore AJ Davis recorded his first career double-double and led the Knights past the FAU Owls 75-61 for their fourth consecutive victory on Saturday night.
“I don’t know if it is a rival, but it is definitely a competitive game, it’s an in-state game. We definitely wanted to come in here and get the win,” AJ Davis said.
The Knights struggled to find their offense early on and did not have a lead until 7:52 remaining in the first half. However, the Knights shot 7 of 11 from the field from that point on and pulled out to a 34-25 halftime lead.
AJ Davis finished his night with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists in what was his best all-around outing of the season. Davis has absolutely seized control of the team in BJ Taylor’s absence and has carved out an integral role as the court general and do-it-all forward for the Knights.
“Now I think [Davis] is getting more comfortable in his position, we’re learning how to use AJ too,” Head Coach Donnie Jones said. “He’s adjusted to how he should play and I think the biggest thing for him is he is such a great competitor.”
Most of FAU’s scoring came from senior guard Jackson Trapp and freshman forward Jesse Hill who combined for 37 of the team’s 61 points. The Owls had trouble finding lanes in the Knights’ defense as the game wore on though and ended the game shooting a terrible 36.8 percent. The Knights’ torrid shooting (46.7 percent) and FAU’s penchant for personal fouls (18) led to a fairly lopsided second half.
UCF’s height advantage also played a major factor as the team out-rebounded the Owls by 13 which is their second highest margin of the season. Freshman Tacko Fall got back on track in a big way against the Owls, recording 6 of the team’s 44 rebounds while swatting 6 shots.
“[Fall] probably could have had 10 blocked shots. He’s still learning how to block shots sometimes and who he is playing against,” Jones said. “The biggest thing I tell him is sometimes you don’t have to block them, you just have to change them.”
The Knights will head to Michigan to take on the University of Detroit Titans who are also 5-3 and have three consecutive wins. If UCF can take home a win against the Titans, they will have put together five consecutive wins for the first time since the beginning of last season.
