Feb. 13, 2013
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will have to wait until it joins the BIG EAST next year to record its first victory at Memphis as the No. 22 Tigers used a dominating second-half performance to post a 93-71 victory over the Knights Wednesday at FedExForum. UCF trailed by six points at the break before Memphis (21-3, 10-0 Conference USA) pulled away for its 15th-straight victory.
The Tigers outscored the Knights (17-7, 7-3) 51-35 in the second half when they shot 64.5 percent overall. For the game, Memphis scored 30 points off of 18 UCF turnovers and registered 27 points on the break.
"You cannot turn the ball over like that against a team like Memphis," UCF head coach Donnie Jones said. "They took advantage of our mistakes and we need to do a better job handling the ball. We turned it over and didn't make plays, and they got second shots."
Five Memphis players finished with double figures in scoring, led by Joe Jackson's 21 points. Isaiah Sykes led the Knights with 17 points and six boards.
The Tigers, who are 10-0 all-time at home against the Knights, used a 21-1 run midway through the second half to put away the visitors. After Kasey Wilson drained a triple with 13:49 left to cut the Memphis edge to eight points, the Tigers quickly built its advantage to 28 points. They hit three 3-pointers and had plenty of dunks during the run.
UCF was playing its first of two road games this week. The Knights will face hos tUTEP Saturday evening.
The Knights handled several Memphis runs in the first half to keep the score close at intermission. The Tigers scored 19 points off of turnovers and led by as many as eight in the opening stanza. Five 3-pointers, including a pair by Daiquan Walker, kept the visitors close and after Calvin Newell made a layup at the buzzer, the Knights trailed 42-36 at the break.
Memphis improved to 14-1 at home this year with the win. The Tigers shot 58.5 percent overall for the game and finished with a 40-22 edge on the boards.
Walker (14 points), Tristan Spurlock (11) and Keith Clanton (10) finished with double digits in scoring for the Knights, who shot 47.1 percent from the field.