Jan. 11, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Dan Forcella
UCFKnights.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team was held to just 36.2 percent shooting as visiting SMU defeated the Knights 70-61 Sunday afternoon in Orlando. The Mustangs' Nic Moore led all scorers with 21 points in the game.
"That was a good basketball team," UCF head coach Donnie Jones said after the game. "It was a good basketball game. We knew it would be a big challenge for us tonight, but I'm proud of the way our guys fought
The Knights (8-7, 1-3) scored the final six points of the first half, including a deep Brandon Goodwin three-pointer at the buzzer that reminded UCF fans of the sophomore's heroics in Houston last week. It brought UCF within four points, at 30-26, giving the Knights some momentum into the break.
That momentum came to a streaking halt when Moore knocked down back-to-back threes to start the second half, extending SMU's lead back to double digits, at 36-26, just over a minute into the frame.
UCF continued to battle, cutting the SMU (12-4, 3-1) lead to six points again when threes by senior Kasey Wilson and junior Daiquan Walker were followed by a jumper by freshman B.J. Taylor to make it 46-40 with 9:44 to play.
A 7-0 spurt by the Mustangs once again paused any momentum the Knights had going. The stretch brought SMU's lead back to 13 points, at 53-40 with 7:38 to go, and UCF never recovered.
The Mustangs extended their advantage to as many as 16, but the Knights' late-game pressure brought UCF back to within single digits at the final buzzer, falling 70-61.
"Donnie has a young team. I've watched them a lot and they're getting better by the minute," SMU head coach Larry Brown said after the game. "They're going in the right direction. The future is pretty bright here."
SMU HOLDS UCF TO 28 PERCENT FROM THREE-POINT LINE
UCF came into Sunday's contest leading the American Athletic Conference in three-point shooting, hitting at a clip of .386, but the Mustangs held the Knights' shooters down. UCF shot just 7-of-25 from beyond the arc for a mark of just .280. It was just the fourth time the team shot under 30 percent from long distance.
Taylor and freshman Adonys Henriquez came in first and second in the league, shooting .447 and .446, respectively. The pair went a combined 1-of-10 from three-point range against the hard-nosed SMU defense.
"Obviously we needed some shots to go down from the three-point line. We had some opportunities, but they just didn't go down tonight for our guards, who have been shooting the ball well. Give SMU credit. They have great length, great guards size, and they can frustrate you with their defensive intensity."
- Donnie Jones
MOORE THE DIFFERENCE FOR SMU
- The point guard led the way with 21 points on 8-of-14 from the floor.
- Moore was efficient from beyond the arc, going 5-for-9 from distance.
- He also dealt out four assists in the victory.
"Nic Moore's a really good player. He makes big shots. He makes them go. He runs their offense. We tried to box-and-one him and do some different things. I think we frustrated him a bit early, but he makes plays. Sometimes players make plays. He did that."
- Donnie Jones
TRIO OF KNIGHTS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
The trio of Taylor, Goodwin and Henriquez all finished with 11 points to lead the UCF offense on Sunday. Taylor did his damage in the paint, going 5-of-9 inside the arc, while Goodwin knocked down a trio of threes, going 3-of-7 from long distance. Henriquez was able to get to the free throw line and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
SMU BALL MOVEMENT LEADS TO GOOD OFFENSIVE NUMBERS
- The Mustangs finished the night with 19 assists on 28 field goals.
- SMU shot .571 from the floor, going 28-of-49.
- The winning team was also on point from beyond the arc, shooting .429 (6-of-14).
- The Mustangs were able to use transition to their advantage, outscoring UCF 17-3 on the break.
POSTGAME AUDIO
Head Coach Donnie Jones
Kasey Wilson, Adonys Henriquez
NEXT UP FOR THE KNIGHTS
UCF will next be in action Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Knights host Tulane at 7 p.m. on ESPN3, the WatchESPN app and the UCF IMG Sports Network.