ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF men's basketball team closed out its non-conference slate on a high note, extending its winning streak to five games after defeating visiting South Carolina State 89-64 Thursday night at CFE Arena.
"I'm just really proud of our guys' effort tonight," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. "Especially considering we got down in the first half by nine. Our guys showed the character they've exhibited almost all season. They were able to stay poised, kept competing, and kept playing UCF basketball. They were able to gain momentum and subsequently win the game."
Early on it looked like UCF (9-3) was going to be in a battle with the Bulldogs. South Carolina State (4-11) made five of its first seven three-point attempts and led 27-18 with 7:33 to play in the first half.
"The message was we needed to really focus on what we were trying to do out there," Dawkins said of his late first half timeout. "We had some defensive lapses. We didn't understand the personnel as well as we needed to. We had to identify shooters and know what they were trying to do."
The Knights figured it out, getting stop after stop and scoring six straight points to cut into the Bulldogs' lead.
It was just under the five-minute mark that Dawkins' squad used an 11-0 run - highlighted by a Dayon Griffin three-pointer, back-to-back buckets from Tacko Fall, and a steal and ensuing layup by Chance McSpadden - to take a six-point lead just before halftime.
"Our guys, like they've done most of this year, they responded," Dawkins said of the spurt. "They went back out and they made the adjustments. Clearly our defense was a lot better from that point on and gave us a chance to win."
McSpadden led the way all night on the defensive end. He finished with three steals and frustrated nearly every Bulldog ball handler.
"He was the catalyst tonight. He really got us going," Dawkins said. "We saw his energy and his intensity on the defensive end. He gave us a huge lift and I was really proud of what he did. He really set a tone and our guys were able to follow his lead."
In the second half, it was the Knights' offense that really started to get going. In fact, UCF shot a staggering 65.4 percent in the second half to finish the night with a season high 59.3 percent shooting from the field.
A jumper in the paint by McSpadden ignited a 15-0 run midway through the frame that put UCF up 63-45, ultimately putting the game out of reach.
TACKO RECORDS THIRD STRAIGHT DOUBLE-DOUBLE
- Tacko Fall led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in the victory.
- It was his third straight double-double and the 18th of his career.
- He went 7-of-9 from the field to keep his nation-leading field goal percentage (.781).
- Fall has scored in double figures in four straight games.
GRIFFIN EXCELS ON BIRTHDAY
- Dayon Griffin turned 22 on Thursday and finished it off with 11 points, six rebounds and five assists in a win for the Knights.
- The shooting guard knocked down a season-best three 3-pointers, had two blocks and one steal in 23 minutes of action.
UCF will take a couple days off for the holidays and return to action on Dec. 27. The Knights play at SMU to open up American Athletic Conference play. The Mustangs knocked the Knights out of the league tournament in last season's semifinals.
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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