Feb. 9, 2016
vs Cincinnati (2/9/16) - Images by UCF Knights
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Thirteen second-half turnovers doomed the UCF men's basketball program on Tuesday night, falling to Cincinnati 69-51 at CFE Arena.
Related: Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) | Jones Interview | Davis and Williams Interview
The Knights (11-11, 5-6 AAC) battled back-and-forth with the Bearcats (18-7, 8-4 AAC) in the first half, thanks to junior Matt Williams, who tallied 18 of his game and career-high 24 points. The Orlando, Florida, native sank four 3-point field goals in the opening stanza, making it a one-point game at halftime with Cincinnati leading 31-30.
Things changed in the second half with the Bearcats' defensive pressure agitating the Knights, forcing UCF to turn the ball over 13 times in the final 20 minutes. The Bearcats took advantage of the extra possessions, going on 13-3 and 13-0 runs within the first eight minutes of the second half.
WILLIAMS' BIG NIGHT
- Matt Williams scored a career-high 24-points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field and 6-for-12 from three-point range.
- Williams' six three-point field goals, which is a season high, is the second most in his career for a single game, behind the seven he drained against Florida Tech on Dec. 1, 2012.
- The junior now has 138 career three's, which is four from tying Gary Johnson for 10th in UCF school history with 142.
#TACKOSWAT
- For the third time in four games, freshman Tacko Fall blocked three shots in a game.
- The Senegal native now has 46 blocks on the season, which surpasses Keith Clanton (45, 2009-10) for second most by a UCF freshman. Anthony Williams set the freshman record during the 2004-05 season with 53.
- Fall is also now just two blocks away from tying Jeff Dorschner with 48 blocks for 10th in UCF history for blocks in a single season.
NEXT UP
After playing three games in the last six days, the Knights get a much needed three-day rest before taking on Houston in Houston, Texas, on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast live on ESPNews.