UCF honored its three senior players — Avery Diggs, Darius Perry, and Brandon Mahan on Senior Knight — and defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to complete the season sweep, two games to zero.
After allowing Tulsa to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit to eventually take a 66-59 lead with 5:47 remaining in the game, UCF stormed back to defeat the Golden Hurricane 73-69.
The Knights’ second-half comeback was completed by a successfully converted and-one layup by senior guard Darius Perry to give the Knights a 68-67 lead with 58 seconds remaining in the game.
Sophomore guard Darin Green Jr. also played a vital role in the Knights’ late comeback, scoring 11 points in the second half.
Six of his points came from two clutch 3-pointers to keep the Knights within striking distance of the Golden Hurricane.
A pair of free-throws by redshirt sophomore guard Dre Fuller Jr. gave the Knights a two-possession lead with just over 3 seconds remaining in the game to secure the Knights’ 73-69 victory.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said he was proud of his players for executing late in the second half.
“I’m just proud of our guys for making stops when we needed and making big plays offensively when we needed,” Dawkins said after the game.
A dominating end to the first half would also play a key role in UCF’s victory, as the Knights went on a 16-1 run in the final 5:46 of the opening half.
Freshman forward Isaiah Adams contributed significantly to this run with 12 points of his own, six of those points coming from beyond the arc.
The huge Knights’ surge was capped off by a monster fast-break slam-dunk by Adams, which generated a huge eruption from the crowd.
When explaining the team’s first-half success, Dawkins said the team was “just taking what they were giving us.”
“When we balanced our offense out, when we went inside, and we played inside-out, I thought we were much more effective,” Dawkins said.
Adams finished the game leading all scorers with 19 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Green Jr. and Perry both finished the contest with 14 points apiece.
The Knights were able to pick up the victory despite being short-handed, as key player sophomore forward C.J. Walker missed the game with an ankle injury.
Dawkins said there is no current timetable for Walker’s return but that he’s hopeful he could be back by the time the American Athletic Conference tournament starts on March 11.
With the win, the Knights improve to 9-11 on the season and 7-10 in the AAC. Tulsa falls to 10-11 on the year and 7-9 in conference play with the loss.
The Knights will travel to face ECU Thursday at 9 p.m. in their last regular-season game. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
