Jan. 24, 2016
The UCF men's basketball program fell, 75-60, on the road against Tulsa, dropping to 10-7 on the season and 4-2 in American Athletic Conference play.
Related: Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) | Jones Interview
From the opening tip, it was a struggle for the Knights (10-7, 4-2 AAC) on both ends of the court, matching up with the Golden Hurricane's quickness and gritty effort.
The shifty ability of Tulsa's guards had UCF head coach Donnie Jones' two-three zone constantly moving, but the Knights were up to the task, holding TU to just 34.8 percent from the field. Unfortunately for the Knights, they were unable to take advantage of their misses, turning the ball over 19 times and allowing the Golden Hurricane to grab 18 offensive rebounds.
To pile it on, UCF recorded a season-high 26 fouls, including seven that were received on the offensive end, which was uncharacteristic for a team that ranked third nationally in fewest fouls per game at 14.9.
Offensively, A.J. Davis got off to a hot start, draining two three pointers early in the half. Davis sank another bucket before halftime, giving him a team-high eight points at the break.
The Knights, who were down by nine with 1:34 remaining in the first half, chiseled Tulsa's lead to just five points after Daiquan Walker and Tanksley Efianayi recorded a pair of layups.
In the second, TU locked in on Davis and shutout the redshirt sophomore, who had reached double-figure points in every league game prior to Sunday.
Despite a rough first half, Justin McBride took over for Davis in the second, scoring eight of his 15 points. Matt Williams and Chance McSpadden also gave UCF sparks, tallying seven points each in the final 20 minutes.
Ultimately, Tulsa broke away midway through the second half, going on a 9-0 run to take an 11-point lead into the under eight media timeout. The Golden Hurricane finished the game, scoring on nine of their final 10 possessions.
FOULS ON FOULS
- Sunday's game had a combined 41 fouls called with 26 coming against the Knights.
- UCF's 26 fouls in a season high, topping the 25 accumulated at Detroit (Dec. 19).
- The Knights were called for seven offensive fouls.
THE DIFFERENCE
- Tulsa only had five turnovers, while the Knights tallied 19. The Golden Hurricane recorded 18 points off turnovers.
- UCF surrendered 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 12 second-chance points for TU.
- Tulsa got to the free-throw line 15 more times than the Knights (27-21) and made 11 more free throws (19-8).
NEXT UP
- The Knights have no time to rest, flying back to Orlando on Monday before hosting Memphis at CFE Arena on Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.