Jan. 4, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Dan Forcella
UCFKnights.com
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team fought right to the end, but couldn't come away with the road victory at Temple as the Owls topped the Knights 84-78 in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.
Unlike its first American Athletic Conference contest of the season, where the Knights struggled out of the gates against Tulsa, UCF (7-6, 0-2) scored the first four points of the game to take the early lead at Temple.
"I thought our kids came out ready," head coach Donnie Jones said following the game. "We started the game the way that we wanted to."
The Owls (11-4, 2-0), who came into the contest having recently defeated No. 10 Kansas and defending national champion UConn, quickly fought back and took their first lead on a three-pointer by Jaylen Bond to make it 7-6.
The two teams went back-and-forth and the Knights trailed by only five points late in the first half, but Temple scored the final seven points of the frame to take a 38-26 advantage into the break.
The Knights scored the first seven points of the second half to make their way back into the game. Freshman B.J. Taylor connected on a pair of driving layups on the break, before freshman Adonys Henriquez hit his first three-pointer of the game to cut the Temple lead to 38-33 just 1:22 into the period.
"We came back out in the second half and rallied," Jones said. "We got it right where we needed to and then we turned it over three times in a row. We need to calm down and execute."
After trading a pair of buckets, the Owls countered with a 9-0 run to take a 14-point advantage, at 49-35, when Quenton DeCosey knocked down a three with 15:18 on the clock.
Every time the Knights made a run, like their 7-0 spurt that cut the Owl advantage to 64-57 with 5:52 to play, Temple answered. Back-to-back layups by Will Cummings put the home team back in front by double figures.
The two teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch. The Knights' attempt to score and foul in the final few minutes got UCF to within six points, but time ran out on them as Temple came away with the 84-78 victory.
OWLS' OFFENSIVE BOARDS HURT KNIGHTS' FIRST HALF
- Temple secured 10 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes of play, to just four for UCF.
- The Owls turned those 10 boards into eight second chance points in the first half.
- The Knights were unable to score any points off of offensive rebounds in the opening frame.
TAYLOR BACK ON TRACK WITH 21 POINTS
The freshman, who leads the Knights in scoring with 14.2 points per game, led the way for the sixth time this season. He poured in a team high 21 points on 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. It was his second highest scoring output of the season, bested only by his 25 points vs. USC Upstate.
WALKER WITH SEASON HIGH 17 IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS
- Philadelphia native Daiquan Walker scored 17 points of the bench for the Knights.
- His 17 marked a season high and were just three points off of his career high of 20 points.
- Walker went 7-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-6 from long distance.
ALL FOUR UCF GUARDS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
For the second time this season the Knights put four guards in double figures. Taylor and Walker led the way with 21 and 17, respectively, while Henriquez added 14. Sophomore Brandon Goodwin chipped in 12 points, while adding seven rebounds and a game high five assists.
TEMPLE'S BOND GOES OFF FOR 21 POINTS AND 14 REBOUNDS
- The Owls' forward scored a career high 21 points in the victory.
- He added 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, to record a double-double.
- It was Bond's third double-double of the young season.
THE KNIGHTS' THREE-POINT SUCCESS CONTINUES
UCF came into Sunday's game leading the conference with a .382 three-point field goal percentage and the Knights improved that mark against the Owls. The Knights were able to stay in the game thanks to their timely shooting from beyond the arc.
The Knights shot .450 (9-for-20) from long distance for the game, which included a .636 (7-for-11) second half clip. Five UCF players knocked down triples in the contest, led by Walker's three and two each from Taylor and Henriquez.
NEXT UP FOR THE KNIGHTS
UCF will stay on the road, traveling to Houston Sunday evening. The Knights take on the Cougars Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will air on ESPNews and the UCF IMG Sports Network.