DELAND, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's basketball team scored the first 13 points of the second half and held Stetson to just 20 points in the final 20 minutes in a 74-55 rout of the Hatters Tuesday evening in DeLand.
"We're still developing our chemistry," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. "Our guys are still learning how to build on a lead. Today in the second half we were able to stretch it out because guys got stops and executed well offensively."
Stetson (7-7) came in averaging nearly 80 points per game, but the stout UCF defense held the Hatters to just one field goal in the first eight minutes of the second frame. The Knights (8-3) increased their seven-point halftime lead to 20, at 55-35, putting the game out of reach.
Junior center Tacko Fall and sophomore point guard Terrell Allen were vital to UCF's early second half success, scoring nine of the 13 points during the spurt.
Fall opened with a three-point play, before Allen found the big man for back-to-back screen-and-roll alley oops. The point guard then took it to the rack off the screen on the Knights' next possession to keep the run going.
Fall, who played only 16 minutes in the game due to foul trouble, was dominant for the third straight outing, finishing with 18 points – on 8-of-9 shooting – and 11 rebounds. The 7-foot-6 center is averaging over 18 points and 10 rebounds in UCF's last three contests.
Allen, meanwhile, was the perfect floor general all night long. Finding his groove in his first season on the court for the Knights, the Upper Marloboro, Md., native dished out a career high nine assists in the win. He added six points and turned the ball over just one time in 30 minutes.
After giving up 35 points in the first half, the formidable Knights defense was back to itself in the second, holding the Hatters to just 20.7 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Stetson shot 3-of-14 from beyond the arc and only had nine assists.
"I wasn't too happy with (the defense) in the first half," Dawkins said. "The second half defense was as good as it has been all year. To hold a team to 20 points in the second half, I have to give our guys a lot of credit. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of focus to do that."
The UCF offense, on the other hand, started clicking on Tuesday. The Knights shot a season high 54.4 percent from the floor and went 6-of-14 from long distance.
Junior Dayon Griffin had his second best outing of the year, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The two-guard knocked down a pair of three-pointers, had four rebounds, a block and a steal.
A.J. Davis, the American Athletic Conference leader in rebounding, quietly dominated the glass yet again on Tuesday. The senior leader recorded his third double-double of the season, finishing the night with 11 points and 10 rebounds, to go with three assists and a steal.
It was the Knights' fourth straight win this season, but it marked the 18th in a row for UCF against Stetson.
The Knights will have a quick turnaround, as UCF hosts South Carolina State Thursday night. The final non-conference game of the season is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at CFE Arena.
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