ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team shot 61.5 percent in the second half and held William & Mary to 35.2 percent shooting for the game, improving to 3-0 on the season with a 75-64 victory at CFE Arena Saturday afternoon.
The Knights trailed by one point at the break, and continued to fight off the Tribe throughout the start of the second half, holding onto a 47-46 lead with 11:34 to play. That's when two free throws by senior A.J. Davis ignited an 8-1 run to put UCF ahead for good.
As always, the Black and Gold got it done on defense, making six straight stops during the stretch. Following a William & Mary (1-2) three-pointer, Chance McSpadden and Tacko Fall scored nine straight UCF points to extend the lead to double digits for the first time and the Knights cruised to the 75-64 win.
"This was a good test for us. They're a really good team from the standpoint of how they execute," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "They run one of those systems that are difficult to guard. I thought our guys, being as this is the first time they've seen a team play that way, defended it well and I think we won this game because we defended well."
The Knights also played well on offense though, shooting 16-of-26 from the field in the second half and 5-of-9 from three-point range after shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 0-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
UCF is now out to a 3-0 start for the second straight year under Dawkins. Last season the Knights defeated Nicholls, Mississippi State and Charleston before falling to No. 3 Villanova in the championship of the Charleston Classic.
The Knights aim to open up the 2017-18 campaign 4-0 when they take on Nebraska on Thanksgiving in the first game of the AdvoCare Invitational at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. It would mark the program's first 4-0 start since the 2010-11 season.
Davis continues stellar start to senior season with 17 points and 11 rebounds
- A.J. Davis scored a season high 17 points and grabbed a game high 11 rebounds in the victory.
- It marked the second straight double-double and the third straight game with double digit rebounds for the fifth year senior.
- Davis came into Saturday leading The American with 12.5 rebounds per game.
- He went 6-of-10 from the floor, 4-of-5 from the free throw line and knocked down his first three-pointer of the season.
McSpadden adds scoring threat, leading UCF with 18 points
- McSpadden, who has been heralded for his defense, was a serious scoring threat on Saturday, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
- It was a season high for the sophomore and just three off his career high, set at Stetson two years ago.
- McSpadden also added five rebounds, four assists, and connected on 2-of-4 three-pointers in the win.
"I love Chance's game. I love the way he prepares and I called him out after the game for that. I said 'You prepare really well, so I'm not surprised when you have a night like this.' It was a matter of time before he was going to break out and have a game like this, because his preparation is really good. It's a very mature approach to the game. He's a good player and it was really good to have him back." - Johnny Dawkins
UCF defense holds William & Mary under 36% from field
The Knights led the nation in field goal percentage defense last season, and in the last two games, they are right back to where they were a year ago. For the second straight game, UCF held its opponent to less than 36 percent shooting from the field, allowing the Tribe to shoot just 35.2 percent for the game.
The Black and Gold recorded a season best in scoring defense as well, holding William & Mary to 64 points in the game.
"On the defensive end, we're doing a good job of holding guys' field goal percentage to a low level, but we could be better. I think our guys realize that too. A lot of times we give up too many easy baskets and we're not as focused as we should be, but that's our job to get them there and develop the right habits, so we're going to keep working on that." - Johnny Dawkins
NEWS AND NOTES
- Tacko Fall made his 2017-18 debut on Saturday, coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes.
- The reigning American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year scored 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked one shot.
- B.J. Taylor missed his second straight game with a broken foot. He is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks.
- Terrell Allen, who started in place of Taylor, played only six minutes on Saturday after leaving the game with a hip injury.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2017-18 campaign are on sale now. Fans looking to purchase tickets can call (407) 823-1000 or visit UCFKnights.com to secure them today. For men's basketball tickets CLICK HERE.
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