March 1, 2014
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By Andy Seeley
UCFKnights.com
DALLAS, Texas (UCFKnights.com) - The SMU men's basketball team hasn't lost at Moody Coliseum all season. The No. 23/24 Mustangs (23-6, 12-4 AAC) kept that string alive with a 70-55 win over UCF (11-16, 3-12) Saturday afternoon.
SMU ran out to an 18-4 lead, as the Knights converted just one their first eight field-goal attempts. While UCF was able to trim into its deficit and got within four - 25-21 - late in the first half, the initial run was a little too much to overcome.
SMU regained momentum near the end of the first half and took an 11-point lead into the locker room. The Mustangs maintained that momentum early in the second half. A pair of Nic Moore three-pointers capped an 11-4 spurt to start the second half for the Mustangs. That pushed SMU's lead to 18, its largest of the game.
Once again, the Knights chipped away at the deficit. UCF cut the SMU lead to single digits twice with a little more than six minutes remaining. Both times, it was an Isaiah Sykes bucket that got the Knights back within striking distance. Sykes scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the second half.
Just as it did in the first half, SMU withstood the UCF run and responded. The Mustangs pushed back out to a double-digit advantage from the free-throw line. SMU shot 16-of-25 in the second half alone, while the Knights attempted just 20 from the stripe in the entire game. The Mustangs hit nine-of-14 free-throw attempts over the last five minutes to keep UCF at bay.
Kasey Wilson also reached double figures for UCF, tallying 11 points. Tristan Spurlock pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Knights on the boards. Markus Kennedy scored 18 for SMU to match Sykes' production, while the Mustangs had three other double-digit scorers.
The Knights have a quick turnaround before their final regular-season road trip on tap early next week. UCF will face off with Temple in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.