The UCF men’s basketball team fell to the SMU Mustangs 78-65 at home on Saturday, marking the Knights’ fifth straight loss.
After a tight first half of play, the Knights were off to a good start, pulling ahead by one point against the Mustangs. UCF made 48% of its shots from the field, while SMU made 50% in the first half.
The Knights struggled to get much going inside the paint shooting 12-of-33 and relying heavily on shots beyond the arc going 3-of-9 from long range.
UCF senior guard Darius Perry led the way for the Knights’ offense in the first half, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and leading the team with 9 points for the Knights as the leading scorer to finish the first half.
UCF redshirt junior forward Sean Mobley and sophomore guard C.J. Walker each contributed 6 points and shot 2-of-3 from the field heading into the half.
The Knights’ offense couldn’t find a steady rhythm to match the Mustangs defense in the second half. UCF shot 11-of-36 from the field and 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, while the Mustangs shot 16-of-28 from the field and 2-of-7 from 3-point range.
UCF senior guard Brandon Mahan led the way for the offense in the second half with 10 points and shooting 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the deficit the Knights faced.
After back-to-back 3-pointers late in the period — that brought the Knights to within three of the lead — Knight Nation jumped to their feet and a loud roar from the crowd could be heard in anticipation of a late charge.
The Mustangs ultimately were too much for the Knights, pulling away to a 78-65 victory.
The Mustangs improved to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the American Athletic Conference with the victory, while the Knights fell to 3-6 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
The Knights will next face the ECU Pirates at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and 96.9 The Game.
This article will be updated with new information.
Check back with Knight News for updates.
