ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) – The defensive dominance continued for the UCF men's basketball team Saturday, as the Knights held visiting SMU to a CFE Arena record low and tied the program record for points allowed in a game, winning 52-37 in American Athletic Conference play.
"I think it was two teams that really laid it all out there," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Put it all out there on the court, even though they were a little shorthanded. It was a really good test. I feel for them with the injuries they've suffered. That's difficult what they're going through, but it's kind of what we're going through this year."
Both the Knights (17-9, 8-6) and the Mustangs (15-12, 5-9) have been without key players for much of the season due to injury, but it was UCF that pulled through on Saturday, defeating SMU for the first time since joining the American Athletic Conference.
UCF did it with defense once again. Coming in ranked third in the nation in scoring defense and fifth in defensive field goal percentage, The Knights held SMU to their lowest point total of the year and just 25.6 percent shooting from the field.
"We just stuck to our principles and that's really all it is," freshman guard Ceasar DeJesus said. "They're a great team. They have great guards so we had to just stick to our principles and rely on that."
The Knights did it all day, holding SMU to just 17 points in the first half. It was the third time this season that UCF has held its opposition to less than 20 points in the first 20 minutes. Still, Dawkins knows there is more to do.
"We definitely can still improve defensively," Dawkins said. "We need to understand to stay locked in for the entire possession. Sometimes as possessions get longer, I think we show our immaturity. That's the area we have to improve in, and then completing the play with the box outs and rebounding."
UCF allowed SMU to grab 11 offensive rebounds and was outrebounded 32-28 in the game, but the Knights held the Mustangs to just 2-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc and kept top scoring threat Jahmal McMurray to seven points on 3-of-8 from the floor.
"It was a big part because he's a big-time scorer and a big-time shooter," A.J. Davis said of holding down McMurray. "I played him earlier in my career when he was at USF and he was scoring back then. He's even a more matured and evolved player now. We just tried to make him take some tough shots and tried to get him out of rhythm early. He's a great player, but we were just trying to get him out of rhythm."
In addition to his efforts on the defensive end, Davis was once again stellar on offense, leading the Knights with 19 points on 4-of-7 from long distance. It marked a career high for three-pointers made from the senior.
"You know it is (the best he's been), and I mean that in every way," Dawkins said of Davis's play of late. "I mean of course he's scoring the ball. Everyone is seeing that and he's always been capable. As I've said before, I'm happy to see him get rewarded for all the hard work I see him put in."
Davis is averaging 21.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 69 percent from the floor. His nice offense has been only part of the equation. The Atlanta native has been the major key in holding UCF's opponent's best player down numerous games this season.
"The thing I think that we always overlook is what he's doing defensively," Dawkins said of Davis. "He's taking on the other team's best player pretty much every single night for us. I thought A.J. really did do a great job (on McMurray), and he wasn't the only one with that assignment, but it was his primary assignment. I thought he was terrific."
Davis's 10 rebounds gave him a double-double for the seventh time this season. With four games to play in the regular season, he's taking advantage of his last ride.
"I think the biggest thing for me is my composure and pace," Davis said. "I'm playing at a good pace and I'm catching it where I want to, in good spots. I'm really slowing it down and learning through the experiences of what I've done in the past. It's calmed me down and made it a lot easier for me."
Dayon Griffin added 10 points on two three-pointers, DeJesus had eight points, and B.J. Taylor added seven in the victory.
Ben Emelogu led SMU with 12 points, while Jimmy Whitt had a game high 11 rebounds.
UP NEXT
UCF will now hit the road to take on Tulsa on Feb. 21. The Knights and the Golden Hurricane will tip off at 9 p.m. ET in the only meeting of the regular season for the two teams.
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