AMHERST, Mass. (UCFKnights.com) - Nick Banyard's offensive rebound and step-back three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left on the clock lifted the UCF men's basketball team to a 65-62 road victory over UMass Saturday at the Mullins Center.
"Guys were alert, we had time on the clock, and Nick had enough poise to step back and hit a great shot," UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. "He's capable of making those plays and he stepped up to make a big one tonight."
The Knights trailed 59-58 with less than two minutes remaining when UMass's Donte Clark drove the lane, scored, and drew a foul on UCF's star point guard B.J. Taylor, his fifth of the game. With Taylor sidelined, and UCF having turned the ball over 20 times in the game, many might have thought the Knights didn't have one more run in them.
They would have been wrong.
After a missed layup by Clark a couple of possessions later, senior Matt Williams drove the lane and forced the Minutemen to goaltend his layup, giving UCF a 60-59 lead. After another defensive stop by the Knights, UMass put Knights sophomore Tacko Fall to the free throw line.
Although he has been impressive in his second season in Orlando, averaging over 14 points and 12 rebounds per game through six contests, Fall has struggled at the charity stripe during the 2016-17 season. He came into Saturday shooting just 27.6 percent from the line. With just 31 seconds remaining, Fall knocked down both to give UCF a 62-59 lead.
On the next possession, UMass once again went to Clark, who hit a three-pointer from the corner to tie things up once again, at 62-62. It marked the eighth and final tie of the game.
The Knights final time down court didn't go exactly as planned, but it worked. A.J. Davis drove the line in the final seconds, just missed his attempt, and the ball bounced back to the free throw line.
There was Banyard. The fifth-year senior grabbed his ninth rebound of the game, created space with a step-back dribble to the three-point line, and got his shot off with less than a second on the clock. Nothing but net.
The Minutemen's final heave was tipped in the air and the Knights escaped Amherst with the 65-62 road victory.
"It was amazing," Dawkins said of the win. "I thought our guys showed a lot of mental toughness. We battled back in the first half, went back-and-forth in the second, and I thought we made a number of big plays down the stretch to get a really good win for this team."
THE TWO BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM SATURDAY'S VICTORY
Tank Efianayi responded to coming off the bench with a career high 24 points
The senior started the Knights' first six games of the season, but with the return of last year's leading scorer and rebounder in A.J. Davis, Efianayi came off the bench Saturday afternoon.
- Efianayi didn't miss a beat, leading the Knights with 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor.
- He was also able to get to the line and with 8-for-11 from the charity stripe.
- It was his fifth double figure scoring game of the season and a new career high.
- Efianayi's previous best was 19 earlier this season against Mississippi State.
"He was in rhythm. He took the shots that were there, nothing was really forced. That's how you play basketball and that's how you have the most success. This will go a long way for him continuing to grow as a player." - Johnny Dawkins
The Knights' 6-1 record marks their best start since 2010-11
- In the 2010-11 season, UCF started out 14-0, before finishing 21-12 on the season.
- UCF is an undefeated 3-0 at home and return to CFE Arena next Saturday against Maryland Eastern Shore.
- The Knights' only loss is to No. 2 Villanova, a 67-57 defeat in Charleston.
COMING UP NEXT
The Knights will have a decent break before returning home to host Maryland Eastern Shore next Saturday. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. with coverage on ESPN3 and FM 96.9 The Game.
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