Houstoned

Feb. 15, 2015

UCF Athletics Social Media Directory

By Dan Forcella
UCFKnights.com

Box Score (pdf) | Box Score (html) | Social Media Recap | Infographic | Photo Gallery

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - It all felt familiar for the Knights as the clock wound down from 30 seconds on their final possession. With memories of Brandon Goodwin's pair of buzzer-beaters at Houston in his head, freshman B.J. Taylor drove the lane and finished high off the glass with under three seconds to play to lead UCF to a 56-54 victory over the visiting Cougars Sunday at CFE Arena.

"It was a gutsy finish by B.J. Taylor," head coach Donnie Jones said after the game. "I just felt in my heart that putting the ball in his hands down the stretch [was the right thing to do]. He did a great job. He's very strong for a freshman and he's able to finish one-on-one. He made a great play."

LISTEN TO THE GAME-WINNING CALL

Following a tip-dunk by Houston's (9-15, 1-11) Devonta Pollard with 2:26 to play in the game, neither team was able to get on the board until Taylor's game-winner. Goodwin missed a jumper, before three straight turnovers puts the ball back with the Knights for one final possession.

Taylor and Goodwin passed the ball back and forth a couple of times before the freshman started making his way towards the basket with around 14 seconds remaining. Freshman Adonys Henriquez sprinted from baseline to baseline and junior Staphon Blair cut out from the block to the free throw line to leave room for Taylor.

The Orlando native drove hard to his right, took contact from the defender and finished off the glass to give UCF (11-13, 4-9) back-to-back league wins for the first time as members of the American Athletic Conference.

"When I made it I knew that we had the game," Taylor said. "It was big. It felt great to do that. I made a couple of game-winners in AAU, but nothing like that. It being in college, everything was different."

WATCH B.J.'S GAME-WINNER

NEITHER TEAM LEADS BY MORE THAN EIGHT POINTS
After having played an overtime game against the Cougars back on Jan. 6, the Knights once again were in a tightly contested game at home against Houston. The Knights' largest lead was eight points, while Houston led by as many as six early in the first half. There were six ties and 22 lead changes in the game.

GOODWIN CONTROLS GAME WITH SEVEN ASSISTS AND TWO TURNOVERS
- He didn't have to play the hero this time around, but Goodwin was the leader on the court for UCF this time around, controlling the game at the point.
- The sophomore scored 14 points, dealt out seven assists, picked up three steals, and only finished with two turnovers.
- Goodwin shot 5-of-8 from the floor, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

WILSON AND BLAIR STEP UP
- Senior Kasey Wilson scored in double figures for the second straight game, totaling 13 to go along with six rebounds.
- For junior Staphon Blair it was three games in a row in double figures, racking up 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
- The Knights are 6-1 on the season when Blair scores in double figures.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES WITH JUST NINE TURNOVERS
For the second straight game, and the second straight win, UCF turned the ball over just nine times on Sunday. Moreover, the Knights only allowed Houston to score nine points off of those turnovers. The Knights scored 13 points off of 11 Cougar turnovers.

UCF also shared the ball well in the victory. Goodwin recorded seven of the Knights' 15 assists, which marked the fifth straight game with 10 or more helpers for UCF. The ball movement led to a .489 shooting percentage for UCF, nearly identical to the Knights' .490 mark against USF on Wednesday.

POSTGAME AUDIO
Head Coach Donnie Jones

B.J. Taylor, Brandon Goodwin

NEXT UP FOR THE KNIGHTS
UCF will next hit the road to take on Tulane. The Knights and the Green Wave tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19 on ESPNews.

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