WICHITA, Kan. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's basketball team couldn't overcome 21 second chance points for the Shockers, as No. 16 Wichita State defeated the Knights 81-62 at Charles Koch Arena Thursday night.
"We knew it was going to be a tough environment, but I thought our guys got out to a pretty good start," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "We were real competitive early and they just built their lead over time in the first half."
The Shockers (16-4, 6-2), who came into the game after dropping back-to-back contests for the first time this season, outrebounded UCF 48-38 and scored 32 points in the paint to earn the victory.
Ranked third in the nation in scoring defense before the tip, the Knights (13-7, 4-4) weren't able to continue that prowess, giving up 80 points for just the second time this season. Wichita State shot 43.5 percent from the floor and grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
UCF never led in the game, but a 10-1 run late in the first half turned a 16-point Shocker lead to just seven, as B.J. Taylor scored six straight to make it 37-30 just before the break. The Knights went into the locker room trailing 39-31.
"It was a good stretch for us," Dawkins said. "We got stops and didn't give up second chance opportunities. We got out in transition and we executed a few of our sets really well. That gave us a chance."
Wichita State increased its lead to double figures early in the second half and never looked back. The Shockers led by as many as 21 points before the buzzer sounded with the final score of 81-62.
The Knights were done in at the free throw line, shooting just 11-of-21, while allowing a season-worst 30 free throw attempts to the Shockers. Wichita State took advantage of their opportunities at the stripe, going 22-of-30 on freebies.
Shaquille Morris led the Shockers with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and grabbed six rebounds in the win. Darral Willis Jr. added 12 points and nine boards, while Rashard Kelly chipped in with eight points and 10 rebounds.
"They have size. They have some experienced bigs," Dawkins said. "They're strong and they kept throwing bodies at us. That's something we need to get better at."
The Knights were able to keep the Shocker backcourt, including preseason all-conference point guard Landry Shamet, in check for much of the game. Shamet finished with four points, Conner Frankamp had seven, and Markus McDuffie had five.
It was Dayon Griffin leading the way for the Knights, scoring 15 points off the bench. Griffin connected on a trio of three-pointers, grabbed four boards and dished out two assists. Taylor finished with 12 points and five assists, while only turning the ball over once.
UP NEXT
UCF will next return home to host UConn on Jan. 31. The Knights and the Huskies will tip off at 9 p.m. inside CFE Arena on CBS Sports Network.
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