Feb. 22, 2014
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UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Andy Seeley
UCFKnights.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF turned in its best offensive performance since Dec. 21 Saturday afternoon in Houston. Unfortunately, the Cougars were also hot at the offensive end of the floor. The result was an 88-84 shootout victory for Houston (13-14, 5-9 American Athletic Conference) at Hofheinz Pavilion.
UCF's 84-point effort was its best in conference play and its third-best of the season. The Knights (10-15, 2-12) shot just under 48 percent from the field, just better than 47 percent from the three-point arc and hit 70 percent of their free throws. Meanwhile, Houston one-upped UCF. The Cougars hit at 58 percent from the field and buried 62.5 percent of their three-point attempts, including two huge triples with less than three minutes to play.
The Knights trailed 75-72 with 2:57 remaining and failed to tie it when Tristan Spurlock missed a three-pointer. Houston grabbed the long rebound and found Brandon Morris alone in the left corner. His three-pointer with 2:26 left pushed Houston's edge to 78-72. Less than one minute later, Danuel House hit another trey and the Cougars were up by nine.
Those two baskets were a huge difference in a game that was close throughout. The first half featured 13 ties and 10 lead changes. The teams traded buckets to open the second half, but the Knights never led in the second stanza. Despite Houston never trailing in the second half, the Cougars were unable to push it to more than a three-possession game until House's long-range connection late.
Spurlock led four Knights in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Isaiah Sykes recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a 19-point, 13-rebound effort. He also dished out a team-high six assists. Kasey Wilson and Justin McBride each tallied 10 points for the Knights. House paced four Cougars in double digits with 18.
UCF is back in action again Wednesday at CFE Arena, when Rutgers visits for a 7 p.m. contest.