Knights Take Down Titans

Dec. 17, 2014

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Dan Forcella
UCFKnights.com

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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team snapped a three-game skid, defeating visiting Detroit 75-70 Wednesday night at CFE Arena. Freshman Adonys Henriquez led the way with 21 points and seven rebounds in the victory.

"I'm really proud of the team and how we bounced back," head coach Donnie Jones said after the game. "Our team showed great heart tonight. I think one word that really sums up how we played tonight is heart."

The Knights sprinted out of the gates, as a Henriquez three opened the scoring. Freshman B.J. Taylor then knocked down a pair from beyond the arc and sophomore Brandon Goodwin drove the lane for two to give UCF an early 11-2 advantage.

After the Titans charged back with a 17-2 run to take a 19-14 lead midway through the first half. Junior Daiquan Walker stopped the run with a three, which sparked a 13-0 run by the Knights that culminated with another Henriquez three to put UCF back on top 27-19 with 5:01 to play in the first.

UCF went into the break with a 35-27 lead when Walker's jumper with 13 seconds remaining banked in off the glass. The Knights extended their lead to double digits, at 39-27, early in the second, scoring the first four points on two free throws by sophomore Justin McBride and a layup by Taylor.

The Knights led by as many as 18 points, making it 51-33 on 11 straight points. Henriquez had two threes during the stretch, while Taylor added one from beyond the arc, and junior Staphon Blair finished one in the lane.

The Titans quickly cut back into the lead, before it hovered around 10 points for much of the second half. The Knights used timely defensive stops and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to close out the 75-70 victory.

"For our team to come off our last game and play how we played tonight, I'm very happy," Jones said. "That's why we don't get too caught up in a loss or victory. It is all part of a bigger process. Our team worked extremely hard the past few days in practice and I am extremely proud."

HEN-THREE-QUEZ GOES FOR 21 POINTS AND 7 REBOUNDS
The freshman scored a career high 21 points to lead the Knights in the victory. Henriquez shot an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor and went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also tied a career best with seven rebounds, which led all players. Henriquez, who leads the team in minutes, played all but two on Wednesday night.

We came out tonight with the mindset to just play. We weren't worried about the score or the fans, that didn't matter tonight. The only thing that mattered was playing the game to the best of our ability.
- Adonys Henriquez

Audio Highlight

@DUNKINKING'S PAIR OF DUNKS HIGHLIGHTS CAREER HIGH
- Blair scored a career high 14 points off the bench.
- His previous best was 12 at USF on Feb. 15, 2014.
- The junior went 4-for-4 from the floor, including two monster dunks.
- Blair was also able to get to the free throw line and knock them down. He went 6-of-8 from the stripe.

I'm really proud of Staphon and how he played tonight. He is a great competitor. He came in with the right mindset and made some big free throws in the second half. It was probably his best effort of the season. He shot 100% tonight and I couldn't be more proud.
- Donnie Jones

It mattered more to me that the team played well overall. We try not to focus on individual achievement too much. It was a team effort and we executed well. My teammates found me.
- Staphon Blair

KNIGHTS USE FREE THROW LINE TO THEIR ADVANTAGE
UCF took a season high 32 free throws in the win Wednesday night. The Knights went 22-for-32 from the stripe. They outscored Detroit 22-8 from the line. Taylor, Walker, and sophomore Brandon Goodwin went 7-of-8 from the line in the final 30 seconds to preserve the victory.

TAYLOR EFFICIENT ONCE AGAIN IN WIN
- The Knights' leading scorer went for 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor.
- He added 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to propel UCF to the win.
- It marked his second highest scoring output of the season (25 vs. Upstate on 11/23)
- He has now scored in double figures in six of the eight games he's played as a freshman.

POSTGAME AUDIO
Head Coach Donnie Jones

Adonys Henriquez, Staphon Blair

NEXT UP FOR THE KNIGHTS
UCF will play its final non-conference game of the season on Monday, Dec. 22. The Knights host Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. at CFE Arena. The game will air on ESPN3, the WatchESPN app and the UCF IMG Sports Network.

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