GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's basketball team allowed the fewest points since 2010 and led from wire to wire in a 59-39 victory at ECU. The Knights held the Pirates to 31.9-percent shooting and forced 21 turnovers in their final game of 2017.
"I was really proud of our guys' defensive effort," head coach Johnny Dawkins. "We came in with a game plan and our guys stuck to it, even when Tacko got in foul trouble. Our guys did a really good job of handling that adverse situation. Some guys stepped up when we called on them today."
The Knights (10-4, 1-1) started rolling early with a 16-5 lead in the opening 11 minutes. During the stretch, the Black and Gold kept the ECU (6-7, 0-2) offense out of rhythm by forcing five turnovers and six missed shots on eight attempts.
A.J. Davis tallied 11 of his game-high 17 points in the first half. The senior converted a trio of conventional three-point plays in the opening 20 minutes to help the Knights create a nine-point gap at the break.
The Pirates cut the lead down to seven out of the break, but that was as close as the Knights would allow. Ceasar DeJesus drilled a 3-pointer to kick start a nearly seven-minute scoreless drought for the hosts.
"We knew they were going to make a run," Dawkins added. "My talk to them was to do the same things that gave us the lead. That was to be simple offensively and play UCF defense. I thought our guys went out and did that. We got some stops and that helped us build our lead and get some easy baskets."
Djordjije Mumin got in on the action with back-to-back makes from distance. A Terrell Allen layup and a drop in by Tacko Fall capped a 16-0 run for the Knights.
ECU responded with 14 of the next 16 points, but Allen silenced the crowd with a long 3-pointer, before Davis put the game to bed with a rim-rattling dunk with 7:18 to play.
DeJesus joined Davis in double figures with 15 points, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Allen dished out five assists, as the Knights racked up 13 dimes on 21 field goals. UCF shot 39.6-percent from the field.
NOTABLES
- The 39 points allowed tied the second best defensive scoring performance in school history
- The record is 37 points, set against Florida Tech in 2006
- The best defensive field goal percentage team in the nation last year, Sunday marked the second best outing in that category for UCF this season (31.9)
- It marked UCF's first win without scoring at least 60 points since winning 59-56 at USF late last season
- With 17 points and 10 rebounds, Davis recorded his fourth double-double of the season and the 10th of his career
- Grabbing five rebounds on the night, Fall moved into eighth place all-time at UCF with 609 career boards
The Knights return to action Monday, Jan. 3. UCF hosts Memphis at CFE Arena at 7 p.m.
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.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.