HOUSTON – The UCF men's basketball team gave up 38 free throw attempts and dropped its third straight contest, falling to Houston on the road by a score of 78-63 Friday night at the Fertitta Center.
"I thought we played 30 plus minutes of good basketball," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Down the stretch, we didn't close well again. We have to understand how to come down the stretch of ball games."
The Cougars (11-3, 1-0) earned the win in their first American Athletic Conference game of the season after going 30-of-38 from the line. DeJon Jarreau went 12-of-14 from the stripe himself, matching UCF's total free throw makes in the game.
The Knights (9-5, 0-2) finished the game 12-of-19 but took their first pair of free throws with 11:32 to play in the second half. Dazon Ingram was 8-of-10 from the foul line, all in the second half.
Ingram led UCF with 13 points to go with nine rebounds and a game-high six rebounds. Collin Smith added 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Ceasar DeJesus scored all 10 of his points in the first 20 minutes of play.
UCF trailed by just two points when Frank Bertz' 3-pointer made it 47-45 with 13:40 to play, but the Cougars used a 12-1 run to take a 59-46 advantage with 9:29 to play and controlled the game from there.
"We have to find ways to put the ball in the basket," Dawkins said. "We've got guys who are good enough scorers. We have to step up and knock down shots. That's something that has been plaguing us for most of the year."
Houston was led by Nate Hinton, who finished game highs of 20 points, 16 rebounds and five steals. Fabian White Jr. had 13, Jarreau scored his 12 and Quentin Grimes totaled 10 in the win.
The Knights have now lost their first two conference contests and continue league play on the road next week. UCF plays at SMU on Jan. 8. Tipoff between UCF and the Mustangs is set for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPN3 and FM 96.9 The Game.
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