ORLANDO - The UCF men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season, losing 79-70 to Miami on Tuesday night at Addition Financial Arena.
"I give Miami a lot of credit. I thought they played well." UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game.
The Knights started slow to open the game, with Miami (2-1) opening up by jumping out to a five-point lead. Five minutes into the game the Hurricanes held a 12-3 advantage.
UCF (1-1) made a quick comeback, however, cutting the deficit to just three by the 10-minute mark.
Largely led by Dazon Ingram's eight first-half points and Frank Bertz's six, the Knights took a 29-26 lead with 4:30 left in the first half.
The student section was packed. With overflow seating necessary and 3,416 students in the stands, Ingram got them into it with his offensive rebound and putback that gave the Knights a 29-26 lead late in the first frame.
"Our student section has been great over the last couple games for us," Dawkins said. "I'm just disappointed we couldn't come through for them tonight. They bring great energy, they give a chance every night because they're so loud and so active."
UCF's defense from the three-point line was spectacular, holding Miami to a 15.4 three-point shooting percentage in the first half, but the Hurricanes made a late run of their own and took a one-point lead into the break, 30-29.
The Canes then got off to a hot start in the second half and put some space between them and the Knights. After a Matt Milon bucket gave UCF a 1-point lead less than three minutes into the period, Miami used a 14-2 run to grab a double digit lead at 52-41.
UCF's offense shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Canes' hot shooting, who recorded a 56.7 percent mark in the final 20 minutes, fighting for the nine-point victory.
Freshman Darin Green Jr. and senior Frank Bertz led the way for the Knights, each scoring 13 points and knocking down three apiece from long distance. Ceasar DeJesus also was in double figures with 11 points. Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia led UCF with seven rebounds despite playing just nine minutes of action.
The Knights will be back in action on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. as they travel to Normal, Illinois to take on the Illinois State Redbirds.
