GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFKnights.com) – In a game with nine ties and nine lead changes, the UCF men's basketball team outscored East Carolina 11-2 in the final 2:44 of the game to take the final lead and win 61-58 at Minges Coliseum on Saturday.
"It's a great win for our guys," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. "We've had some chances on the road and we just couldn't finish the way we finished tonight, which was strong. Guys made all the plays they needed to make and I was just really proud of their effort."
After a 15-4 run by ECU (12-15, 4-10 AAC) turned a five-point UCF lead into a six-point deficit, the Knights found themselves down 56-50 with just over three minutes to play in the game.
As has been the case for UCF all season, it started with defense. After a stop and team rebound, the Knights (17-10, 8-7 AAC) came down and scored on a jumper by Matt Williams. Another missed shot and turnover by the Pirates ensued.
The next trip down it was a three-pointer by Williams that got the Knights right back into the game, trailing by just one point, at 56-55, with 1:54 on the clock.
Set to call a timeout in the frontcourt, ECU's Jeremy Sheppard dribbled toward his bench, but before he could signal to the official, UCF's A.J. Davis stripped him of the ball. Davis flew down to his basket untouched and threw down an emphatic dunk to give the Knights the lead for good.
"We kept our poise," Dawkins said of his team down the stretch. "We told our guys that there was a lot of time left in the game and we just had to get stops. We were able to do that and we executed."
The defensive stops continued and the Pirates began fouling sophomore Tacko Fall. For three consecutive trips down the court, Fall went to the free throw line. Just a 46 percent shooter from the charity stripe, Fall performed just above his average under pressure, knocking down 3-of-6.
ECU scored its only bucket of the final three minutes when Michel Nzege scored on a putback to make it 60-58 with two second remaining.
The Knights capped the game off with a touchdown. Up two with two seconds on the clock, Nick Banyard threw the ball the length of the court to a streaking Nathan Laing, who caught the ball and forced Nzege to foul him.
Laing hit one out of two from the line to put UCF up 61-58. The Pirates desperation heave was unsuccessful and the Knights escaped with the victory.
"It's important to learn how to win on the road in those situations," Dawkins said. "You have to hit big free throws, we talked about valuing the basketball and we did that. We didn't turn it over late in the game."
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM SATURDAY'S WIN
Nick Banyard had second straight career night with 18 points and 11 rebounds
- Banyard scored 18 points for the second game in a row, matching his career high performance he had against Tulsa.
- The senior also added 11 rebounds against ECU, marking his second double-double of the season, the first being in the first game of the season against Nicholls.
- The Flower Mound, Texas native was 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.
"He's given us a huge lift. Nick has delivered for us. He has come in and played like a senior. He is making plays, playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy. The good thing is that it's contagious."
- Johnny Dawkins
UCF won the turnover battle 12-16
- Turnovers have plagued the Knights all season, but on Saturday UCF gave it away just 12 times, two off their season best.
- The Knights turned 16 ECU turnovers into 22 points, outscoring the Pirates 22-11 in points off turnovers.
Matt Williams set a new American Athletic Conference record for threes in a season
- With his second three-pointer of the night, Williams broke the AAC record for threes in a season with his 97th of 2016-17.
- He topped the previous best of 96, set by Jherrod Siggers of Houston in 2014-15.
- With three from beyond the arc in the game, Williams now has 98 and is just five from tying the UCF record of 103, held by Gary Johnson in the 2004-05 season.
- Coincidentally, Williams is also five away from tying the UCF record for career threes. He now has 246 and trails only Jermaine Taylor, who hit 251 from 2005-09.
NEXT UP
UCF will stay on the road and play at Temple on Wednesday. The Knights and the Owls are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. from Philadelphia with coverage on ESPNU and FM 96.9 The Game.
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