March 12, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Dan Forcella
UCFKnights.com
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HARTFORD, Conn. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team fought back from a 17-point deficit to force overtime against East Carolina in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday at the XL Center, but the Knights couldn't pull through in the extra session as their final attempt rimmed out and the Pirates took an 81-80 victory to advance to the tournament's quarterfinals.
With 5:59 to play in the first half it seemed as if the ninth seeded Knights might have already been out of the game, having dug themselves a 30-13 deficit. But from that point UCF used a 15-6 run to end the frame and went into the locker room down just 38-30 at the break.
The Knights stayed in the game with clutch three-point shooting, finishing the game 9-of-22 for 40.9 percent. The freshman duo of B.J. Taylor and Adonys Henriquez knocked down a combined seven from behind the arc as UCF cut the ECU lead to just two points on back-to-back triples from the pair of AAC All-Rookie Team honorees.
The eighth seeded Pirates extended their lead to as many as seven three times before the Knights used a 7-1 run at the end of regulation to put the game into overtime. Taylor scored twice and sophomore Justin McBride finished in the post to make it 76-74 with 1:16 to play.
UCF then made a stop and called timeout with 33 seconds remaining. Taylor's final drive to the basket rimmed out, but senior Kasey Wilson was there for the offensive rebound. His putback was good with four seconds on the clock.
"I was proud how our kids competed, especially in the second half," UCF head coach Donnie Jones said after the game. "I was really proud of how our kids fought back to get back into the game. We cut it to eight at halftime, and then I thought the second half we came out and played with some grit and some toughness."
Wilson was one of five UCF players in double figures in his final game as a Knight. He scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.
Taylor led the Knights with 22 points and added five assists, while Henriquez finished with 17 on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. McBride recorded his third career double-double, going for 12 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat. Sophomore Brandon Goodwin rounded out the five in double figures, scoring 10 points, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out seven assists.
ECU was led by freshman B.J. Tyson, who went for 19 in the win. Marshall Guilmette added a career high 18 points, Michel Nzege and Caleb White had 13 each, and Paris Campbell chipped in with 11. The 10 total players in double figures in the game were the most ever in an AAC Tournament game.
The Pirates (14-18) advanced to take on top seeded SMU Friday in the quarterfinals. UCF finished the season at 12-18 overall.
POSTGAME AUDIO
Head Coach Donnie Jones, Freshman B.J. Taylor