ORLANDO, Fla.- Knights win 70 to 61 tonight, getting their second win in school history over Connecticut. These 2 teams will split the season series, both winning their home games. UCF moves to 5-4 in conference play, 14-7 overall.
B.J. Taylor played unbelievable down the stretch of this game. Scoring 8 consecutive points for the Knights at a crucial point in the second half. Getting to the basket almost at will. Even with his unusually poor free throw shooting B.J. finished with 20 points.
“We know we have a player we can go to, he is a proven player, down the stretch he can make those kind of plays,” Coach Dawkins said about B.J.’s performance.
The Knights offense played well tonight, besides their awful free throw shooting. They moved the ball around nicely and played with a nice pace. Scoring almost 20 points above their season average.
“We are hoping to get our scores up, we are still leaving a lot on the table offensively. We have to do a better job of being more effective offensively. Whether it’s free throws, easy opportunities in the half court, we have to be more consistent,” Coach Dawkins was still critical of the Knights offense.
The defense played much better than their last time out, outscoring Connecticut by six in the point. They also out rebounded the Huskies by 12.
“I was a little disappointed in our last outing. We challenged them, and they responded. Everyone did a little bit more, we are going to need everybody if we want to be a good rebounding team,” Dawkins said, praising his teams rebounding effort.
Much of this was due to the stellar play of Chad Brown, who has stepped in nicely in the absence of Tacko Fall.
“I told him he played terrific, he fouled out it’s part of the game, but he gave us a huge lift throughout the night,” Dawkins explained the conversation he had with Chad Brown when he exited the game after fouling out.
The Knights take on Houston this Saturday, tip-off is at noon eastern. The game will take place at CFE, and the Knights could use your support.
“It’s going to take a team effort, and team is not just the players it’s the community. It’s going to be important to fill this arena, because that gives us energy. It’s also intimidating to the other team. As we start to get more of that, we will be more consistent when we are home,” Dawkins said about the importance of filling CFE for home games.
