NEW ORLEANS (UCFKnights.com) –The UCF men’s basketball team forced a season-high 19 turnovers and rolled to a 75-50 victory at Tulane Wednesday night in American Athletic Conference action, improving to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in league action.
“I thought our guys came out with the right mindset,” UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. “We were focused right from the start and played with great energy.”
UCF turned the 19 miscues into 21 points off of turnovers en route to its most decisive victory in conference play and its biggest margin of victory on the road this season.
The Knights sprinted out to a 30-10 advantage as a 15-0 spurt midway through the first half was capped by five straight points by Aubrey Dawkins.
“I thought the separation came because we defended and rebounded well,” Dawkins said. “I thought we got out in transition because of that. We got some easy baskets in transition. In the half court I thought BJ was spectacular.”
BJ Taylor and Dawkins both scored in double figures in the first half alone, as UCF shot a blistering 52.8 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
After heading into the break with their most points in the first half so far in 2018-19, holding a 45-23 lead, it was more of the same in half number two for the Knights.
UCF extended its lead to as much as 34 when an alley oop from Terrell Allen to Chad Brown made it 73-39 with 3:58 to play in the game. The Knights cruised from there for the 75-50 win.
Dawkins led the way with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor, adding seven rebounds and two steals. It marked his 18th straight game scoring in double figures and the fourth time in the last five games that he led UCF in scoring.
Taylor added 17 points, three rebounds and three assists in the victory. With his sixth point, he passed D’Quarius Stewart for ninth place all-time at UCF in scoring. He now has 1,399 career points in his four seasons on the court.
Collin Smith scored in double figures for the second straight game, adding 11 points and four rebounds, while Dayon Griffin chipped in with nine points on a trio of three-pointers. Tacko Fall’s 10 boards led the way on the glass, recording double figure rebounds for the fourth time this season.
The Knights will next stay on the road and play at Memphis on Sunday. UCF and the Tigers are scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
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.