COLUMBIA, MO. (UCFKnights.com) –The UCF men’s basketball team had its five-game winning streak snapped this weekend, as Missouri defeated the Knights 64-62 in overtime Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
UCF (6-2) led 27-21 at halftime and held a three-point advantage with possession with just 52 seconds remaining in regulation, but the Knights turned the ball over and gave up buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, the Knights were held scoreless for the final 3:31, as Missouri (4-3) took its final advantage with 1:35 to play and held on for the win.
"They played hard all game long," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said of the Tigers. "They have good basketball players. They're a good team and they played very tough. They made it difficult for us defensively, and they shot the ball really well tonight, especially in the second half."
After a slow start, the UCF defense settled in and held the Tigers to just 37 percent shooting from the floor on the night. However, like in the win over Alabama on Thursday, the Knights struggled giving up offensive rebounds.
The Tigers totaled 17 offensive boards, which led to 16 second chance points. The Knights were once again out-rebounded, as Missouri held a 33-32 advantage on the glass.
"They were real active," Dawkins said of the Tigers' rebounding. "They were coming in hard and making plays. Give them credit. Every time a shot went up they really crashed the boards hard and they got their hands on a number of balls that way."
Aubrey Dawkins led all players in the game with 22 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, but didn’t attempt a field goal in the overtime period.
"I thought he was good," Coach Dawkins said of Aubrey. "He gave us a chance to win. He made some good plays for us and that was good, but we came up short."
B.J. Taylor and Collin Smith also scored in double figures, adding 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Chad Brown led the Knights with eight rebounds. Tacko Fall tied a career-high with six blocks, but only totaled six points and four rebounds in the defeat.
Missouri’s Jordan Geist led the Tigers with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while Javon Pickett and Jeremiah Tilmon chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
UCF returns to action later this week at CFE Arena. The Knights host Grambling State Dec. 8 at 1 p.m.
TICKETS FOR 2018-19
Fans can purchase tickets for the 2018-19 UCF men's basketball season by calling (407) 823-1000 or online here: https://ucfknights.co/mbb1819tix.