3,2,1… liftoff? Not quite. Unfortunately for the Knights, playfully dubbed the Nauts during their annual Space Game, their latest flight into Big 12 super stardom remained grounded this past Saturday. In a race to the land among the stars, the UCF men’s basketball team took on the number 8 seed in the conference, the Iowa State Cyclones. While Naut Nation showed up sporting SpaceU blue and their infamous, earthly palm fronds, it was not enough. UCF’s anticipated launch into victory was quickly scrubbed when the Cyclones blew into town with a mission of their own: stop the Nauts.
SpaceU battled valiantly against the whipping winds of the Cyclones throughout the first half, but gust after gust blew their shots away from the hoop. Iowa State, however, had the force of gravity on their side as they sank shot after shot, maintaining a consistent lead for the first twenty-five minutes of the game. At half time, the score read 36 to 29, and everyone wondered if the Nauts dressed in blue were like blue stars – talented, but short-lived giants. This thought quickly dissipated when the Nauts finally took the lead with thirteen minutes remaining in the game. A free throw by #2 Shemarri Allen brought the Nauts a point above the Cyclones, resulting in a score of 39-38, and restoring Naut Nation’s hope.
The teams remained neck and neck for the next six minutes of the half, causing the arena to erupt into chants from both UCF and Iowa State fans. A sea of red crashed into a galaxy of blue amongst the crowd until the Cyclones eventually pulled ahead, gaining such a substantial lead that victory for the Nauts seemed like an impossible feat. Impossible it was – the battle ended in a score of 60 to 52, with the Cyclones staking their claim as the victors of the galaxy.
While this was not the anticipated outcome for Naut Nation, the Space Game was far, far away from being any less than a celebratory occasion. A special visit from the 1993 and ‘94 UCF basketball team and its acclaimed UCF hall-of-famers was enough to have the crowd on their feet cheering in triumph. The applause did not stop there as the award-winning UCF dance team celebrated its graduating seniors and their numerous accomplishments. Not to be overlooked, Space Game festivities like an appearance from Citronaut, themed jerseys, and a balloon alien race around the lower bowl left Naut Nation excited for next year’s SpaceU game! Until next time, Nauts!
