TULSA, Okla. – Brandon Mahan scored nine of his team-high 15 points in 2-minute, 57-second span late in the game to bring the UCF men's basketball team to within two points of Tulsa with just over two minutes to play, but the Knights allowed Tulsa to convert the final eight points of the game and lost on the road 65-54 Saturday evening at the Reynolds Center.
Mahan was 4-of-6 from 3-point range and connected on all three of his free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc with 2:04 to play, but a clutch jumper by Tulsa's Lawson Korita and six free throws down the stretch – including two from a Darin Green Jr. flagrant foul – gave the Golden Hurricane the double-digit victory.
Tulsa (20-9, 12-4) led by as many as 13 points in the second half, forcing UCF (14-14, 5-11) into a season-high 20 turnovers. The Golden Hurricane turned those mistakes into 27 points, while the Knights scored only 12 points off 15 Tulsa turnovers.
"We have to take care of the ball a lot better, especially on the road, you can't have too many turnovers," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Our guys did a great job of showing fight. We gave up too many second-chance opportunities as well."
The Knights also got beat on the boards, 30-22, allowing 12 offensive rebounds. Tulsa scored 14 second-chance points and gave up just three offensive boards to UCF, which the Knights were unable to turn into any points.
Both teams had success from 3-point range, going an identical 9-of-20 from beyond the arc. Jeriah Horne led the Golden Hurricane with four 3-pointers, while Korita had three. Mahan's four led the way for UCF, while Green went 3-of-6 and Frank Bertz was 2-of-4.
It was Bertz that kept the Knights in the game in the first half, scoring all 10 of his points in the first 20 minutes of action. It was just his fourth time in double figures this season and the first time since December, going 4-of-6 from the field and snagging two steals.
Mahan led the offense with his 15 points, also grabbing four rebounds, while Green finished with 11. Collin Smith led the Knights with five boards, grabbing the 500th rebound of his career, but only had five points in 20 minutes of action after coming up limping at one point in the second half and hurting his thumb late in the game.
Korita led Tulsa with 20 points, Horne added 12 and Brandon Rachal chipped in with 11 in the victory.
UCF will now finish the regular season at home in the final week of action. The Knights host SMU on Wednesday before finishing up against ECU Sunday for Senior Day. Tipoff on Wednesday against the Mustangs is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPN3 and FM 96.9 The Game.
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