In a game full of runs and lead changes, the UCF Knights were able to pull away from the Tulane Green Wave in the final four minutes of the game on Friday to secure a victory at Addition Financial Arena.
After a slow start to the second half, Tulane went on a 10-2 run and took an early 42-30 second-half lead
The Knights had an answer and responded by going on a 13-2 run to eventually retake a 45-42 lead.
The run was propelled by UCF senior guard Darius Perry, who would score 11 of these 13 points, including eight consecutive points.
The two teams would eventually become tied up at 47 apiece with 5:06 remaining in the game, but the Knights were able to pull away and make crucial stops down the stretch.
UCF sophomore forward C.J. Walker played a crucial role in this, scoring four of the final six points for the Knights.
With just over two minutes left in the game, Walker ensured the Knights’ victory with a monster slam.
After the game, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins praised Walker’s performance.
“He is an elite athlete,” Dawkins said. “Probably a top five percentile athlete on any level — he has so much upside. It is scary what he can become.”
UCF did not start this matchup off hot, missing its first nine shots of the game. This cold streak did not last long with the Knights hitting their next five shots.
Three of these shots came from beyond the arc as sophomore guard Darin Green Jr. hit a pair of triples following a three-ball from senior guard Perry.
Green Jr.’s hot-hand would be the story of the first half. The sophomore guard would light it up, scoring 14 points in the game’s opening 20 minutes.
Green Jr. was able to do this by shooting 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.
After the game, Dawkins commended Green Jr.’s performance.
“I thought he gave us a great start of this game,” Dawkins said. “I thought that got us going and got a lot of other guys energized and really contributing.”
Green Jr.’s dominant first-half play helped propel the Knights to a 24-10 run, which gave them a 24-16 lead after starting the game down by a score of 0-6.
A 5-minute and 47-second Knights’ scoring drought, however, would allow Tulane to go on an 8-0 run and retake the first-half lead.
UCF’s 11 first-half turnovers also played a major role in Tulane’s late first-half run.
Heading into the half, the Knights trailed the Green Wave 29-30.
Green Jr. finished the game leading the Knights in the scoring cabinet with 16 points.
Perry finished right behind Green Jr. in the scoring category with 14 points of his own.
With the win, the Knights improve to 6-10 on the season and 4-9 in AAC play, while Tulane moves to 8-8 overall and 3-8 in conference play.
Dawkins said he was satisfied with the Knights’ defense Friday night.
“That’s UCF basketball,” he said. “We defended like we wanted to, guys were confident in where they should be defensively, and I thought everyone gave great effort,” Dawkins told the media following the win.”
The Knights look to win their second straight as they travel to Cincinnati on Sunday to take on the Bearcats, who are coming off a Friday night 89-82 victory over Temple.
