ORLANDO – For the first time of the 2019-20 season, the UCF men's basketball team has lost back-to-back games, losing its second straight contest on New Year's Eve, a 62-58 defeat to visiting Temple in the American Athletic Conference opener for both squads.
The Knights (9-4, 0-1) led by as many as nine points in the first half and took a five-point lead into the break, but Temple (9-3, 1-0) outscored UCF 34-25 in the final 20 minutes to propel the road team to its second straight win over UCF.
"I don't think we closed the game very well and I think they closed the game exceptionally well," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Having experience in the backcourt, they did a good job of controlling (things) down the stretch."
UCF led 56-49 when Dre Fuller Jr. hit a two in the lane with 5:46 to play in the game, but the Knights were only able to get three shots off in the final five minutes and 45 seconds of action, missing all three attempts.
The Knights were plagued by turnovers in those final moments, giving the ball up five times in a three-minute span, from 4:12-to-1:12.
"We made some key mistakes," Dawkins said. "(We had) some key turnovers and some tough shot selection down the stretch. That was the difference in the ball game."
Temple took advantage, using a 13-2 run over the last 5:22 to earn the conference victory. Senior guard Quinton Rose was key down the stretch, scoring the final six points of the game. Rose finished with a game-high 16 points and had three steals in the win.
With leading scorer Collin Smith on the bench for all but 1:44 of the first half, Fuller led the Knights to the early lead. The redshirt freshman scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the first 20 minutes, going 5-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc in the first.
Ceasar DeJesus added 12 points and a game-high six assists, while Smith chipped in with 10 points in just 18 minutes of action due to foul trouble.
Dazon Ingram led UCF with nine rebounds, while Avery Diggs chipped in with six points, seven rebounds and three steals in place of Smith.
"Avery's growing into his role," Dawkins said. "He's becoming a good backup for Collin and even playing him next to him sometimes. He's showing that he's able to make some good plays for us on both ends of the floor."
The Knights were outrebounded 41-33 for the game, giving up 13 offensive boards, which led to 13 second-chance points for the Owls. UCF had nine offensive rebounds, but just five second-chance points in the defeat.
League play continues for UCF on the road. The Knights will play at Houston on Jan. 3. Tipoff between UCF and the Cougars is set for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPN2 and FM 96.9 The Game.
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