The UCF men’s basketball team was defeated by the No. 6 Houston Cougars 63-54 on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena.
A dominant second-half defensive effort by Houston held off the Knights’ offense.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game the team needed to value the ball more than they did.
“Gotta be a little more patient have a little more poise,” Dawkins said. “And that definitely hurt us and so there were several sessions and sections in the game where I didn’t think we executed as well and got the type of looks we want to get.”
UCF senior guards Brandon Mahan and Darius Perry each added 13 points to the Knights’ score.
Mahan shot 4-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from the line — he was also responsible for five rebounds, three assists and a turnover.
Perry shot 9-of-10 from the line and 2-of-7 from the field. Perry was also responsible for a steal and three rebounds in the Knights’ loss to the No. 6 team.
“… I mean, they’re a really good team, we lost a really good team,” Perry said. “But I think there’s a lot to build on.”
The Knights finished the game with 17 turnovers, while Houston finished with 10. UCF cashed in 12 points off turnovers to Houston’s 8 points.
“I think 15 that was at least was on us,” Perry said after the game. “That’s no disrespect to them. I just think we didn’t take care of the ball.”
UCF sophomore guard Darin Green Jr. added 12 points to the Knights’ total, along with a rebound an an assist.
Going into half time, the Knights and Cougars were tied 25-25. UCF made 40% of its shots from the field, while the Cougars made 31% of their shots.
“We just couldn’t string together enough stops in a row,” Perry said. “In the first half we played some really good defense, holding them to 25 points. The second half they took advantage, and we did not take care of the ball the way we should have. They punched us first to start the second half and we never punched back.”
UCF guard Dre Fuller Jr. led the team with 10 rebounds — the redshirt sophomore also contributed 7 points, two assists and a steal during the game.
UCF sophomore forward C.J. Walker was responsible for two points, five rebounds, two turnovers, and a block.
With the win, Houston improves to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in American Athletic Conference play. The Knights fall to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play with the loss.
The Knights will next face the Tulane Green Wave on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Addition Financial Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.
