CINCINNATI (UCFKnights.com) – Tacko Fall recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to defeat a red hot Cincinnati team as UCF lost Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena. The No. 11 ranked Bearcats won their 15th straight game with a 60-50 victory over the Knights.
Just as UCF (15-9, 6-6 AAC) had done Saturday against Memphis, Cincinnati (22-2, 11-0 AAC) got out to a stellar start on Wednesday. The Bearcats scored the first nine points of the game and led by double digits just over five minutes into the contest.
"We started off slow and gave them a lot of momentum," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "I'm proud of our guys in the way we kept competing, but they had an answer every time. Give them credit. They did what they need to do to come away with the win."
After Cincinnati extended its lead to 15 points, at 30-15 with 5:34 to play in the first half, the Knights countered with a 13-4 run to end the frame and cut their deficit to just six points at the break. Fall scored six of UCF's final 10 points of the half.
"We found some things that worked for us," Dawkins said of the late first half run. "We had good ball movement and we got the ball inside to Tacko more. He anchored us during that time. We got into the paint more, not just to shoot, but also to dish."
Even though Cincinnati scored the first five points of the second half to extend the lead back to double figures, UCF never gave up and got back within just five points, at 46-41, thanks to a 9-0 run that ended with a three-pointer by senior Nick Banyard.
That was as close as UCF would get in the second half as Cincinnati held the Knights off and came away with the 10-point victory.
"I thought we played good enough defense to win," Dawkins said. "When you hold a team to 60 that averages in the 70s, you have a chance to win. I just don't think we were efficient enough on the offensive end."
The Knights, who came into Wednesday leading the nation with a 35.6 field goal percentage defense, held Cincinnati to 35.4 percent from the field and just 31.0 percent from three-point range.
Where UCF struggled was on the offensive end. The Knights finished 39.6 percent from the field and just 3-of-15 from three-point range. Additionally, UCF recorded 16 turnovers, which led to 14 Cincinnati points.
Fall led the way with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots, but was responsible for six of the Knights' 16 giveaways. B.J. Taylor also scored 14 points, while Matt Williams added eight points in the defeat.
The Knights will now return home for a pair of games against teams just ahead of them in the American Athletic Conference standings. UCF hosts UConn (11-12, 6-5 AAC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. before welcoming Tulsa (12-11, 6-5 AAC) to town Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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