Orlando, Fla.- UCF won their opening game in the AdvoCare invitational over a tough Nebraska team. The final score was 68 to 59. They will play in the Semi-final matchup today, tipoff is at 5, at the HP Field House. They will take on West Virginia, who is currently ranked 23rd in the nation.
“I thought we played terrific defense most of the night, and that gave us a chance to win the game,” Coach Dawkins said.
Ceasar DeJesus played exceptional in last night’s win. Getting to the basket and finishing in crafty ways. He is 6’2 so he needs to use unorthodox release points to get the ball past taller defenders, luckily Ceasar is a wizard with the ball. Last night he finished with a team high 15 points on 60% shooting.
“I just saw gaps and I had to attack them, especially with Tacko out there it makes it a lot easier,” DeJesus said about his success getting to the basket.
AJ Davis once again had a great game. Finishing with 8 points, 7 assists, and 10 rebounds. This guy is really doing it all out there for UCF.
“I was really proud of AJ, a lot is on his shoulders,” Dawkins said. “He plays the point-forward for us, he plays multiple positions, he pretty much does whatever I need him to do.”
Tacko Fall played a solid game. Contesting Nebraska’s shots in the paint, he was a big reason for their abysmal 34% shooting mark from the floor. He took a rough fall early in the first half, that really took the life out of the stadium. Tacko got up walked it off and returned to the game.
“We built our defense around Tacko, having a chance to coach him we wanted to do something that would feature him really well,” Dawkins described Tacko’s defensive prowess. “That is protect the rim, he has been amazing,”
Today’s game will be a good measuring stick for UCF. They haven’t played anyone with the talent level of West Virginia. West Virginia forces a lot of turnovers, and UCF has been turnover prone without star point guard B.J. Taylor. UCF will need to key on senior point guard Jevon Carter. He is Scoring 16 points a game on 54% shooting, and dishing out 6 assists a game. Carter also does it on the defensive end, averaging 4 steals per game.
When the big football game is over, flip the channel over to ESPN 2. This will be a fun game to watch.
