On an ordinary, cold, Orlando Tuesday, the UCF Knights and Arizona State Sun Devils played in a heated thriller, where UCF was able to pull away 79-76. While UCF underperformed at the 3-point line, their ability to turn ASU turnovers into points gave them the edge.
In a slow start to the first half, UCF and ASU were able to build up points, with UCF being up by 4 going into a media timeout. Coming out with 7:25 left in the first, the Sun Devils gained the lead with a 9-0 run, forcing a UCF timeout.
With the score being 22-20 in favor of Arizona State, UCF was able to make key defensive plays to trail behind the Sun Devils 29-28, causing an Arizona State timeout.
Ending the first half, Arizona State led 39-35, with Maurice Odum securing 10 of those. In the first half, both teams were similar in field goal rates, but the key difference was UCF making 1 of 10 three-pointers, while ASU made 5 out of 13.
4 minutes into the second half, a scuffle unfolded, resulting in a foul on ASU. With a chance to try and take over the lead, both teams exchanged 2 points each. After 2 minutes of no scores, Carmelo Pacheco was able to drain a 3, tying the game 47 a piece.
In the next two minutes, the Knights missed 4 three pointers, allowing ASU to go on a 5-0 run into the next media timeout. Coming out of it, the Knights were able to score back-to-back baskets, but ASU stomped any momentum by making a three-pointer and capitalizing on a UCF foul. With UCF committing their tenth team foul of the half, they caused Arizona State to enter the double bonus.
However, UCF stepped up to finally gain some consistent momentum. For 3 minutes, UCF went on an 11-0 run, tying up the score in the final 2 minutes. In the final two minutes, UCF was able to respond with a 3 after ASU had a layup, and again after the Sun Devils made 2 free throws.
In a last effort, Arizona State called a timeout to regroup, but was unsuccessful, and UCF was able to pull away with a hard-fought win.
The Knights move up to 16-4, and 5-3 in Big 12 Conference Play. UCF plays #11 Texas Tech up next at home this Saturday for this year’s Space Game, to have an opportunity to boost their seeding in both the Big 12 tournament and the March Madness tournament.
