Dec. 8, 2015
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vs. UMass (12-8-15) - Images by UCF Knights
ORLANDO, Fla. - A last second tip-in by Shaheed Davis elevated the UCF men's basketball program to a 67-63 victory over Massachusetts on Tuesday night at CFE Arena. It's the Knights third consecutive victory, improving them to 4-3 on the season.
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After surrendering a 12-point halftime lead, the Knights found themselves down by four with under five minutes remaining. But redshirt sophomore A.J. Davis took it upon himself to surge the Knights back, scoring two consecutive baskets to even the score with 1:35 remaining and igniting a 10-2 UCF run.
The two teams would trade buckets over the next two possessions until senior Staphon Blair ripped down a defensive rebound with 21 seconds left in the game and the game tied at 63.
Coming out of a timeout with 14.2 seconds remaining, UCF's Daiquan Walker shook his defender and got to the basket for a reverse layup but his shot rolled around and slipped off the rim. While the ball rounded the hoop, S. Davis was suspended in the air waiting for the ball to come off the cylinder, so he could tip the ball in with 2.4 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing UMass inbounds play, Tacko Fall was put on the ball to make it difficult for the inbounds pass, and it worked like a charm. The Minutemen's C.J. Anderson stumbled across the out-of-bounds line to turn the ball over to UCF.
S. Davis got fouled before on UCF's next inbounds pass and sank his two free throws to seal the Knights' 67-63 triumph.
DOUBLE-DIGIT KNIGHTS
- For the third consecutive game, UCF had four players reach double-digit points.
- A.J. Davis led the Knights in scoring with 14 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
- S. Davis and Adonys Henriquez each tallied 11 points, while Walker chipped in 10.
NEXT GAME
- UCF concludes its three-game homestand on Saturday night against Florida Atlantic with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.