ORLANDO—The month of January has been a tough slog for both the UCF and East Carolina men's basketball teams. But that changed for the Knights Wednesday night at Addition Financial Arena.
UCF (4-6 overall, 2-5 in American Athletic Conference action) saw its losing streak end at five games as the Knights used a torrid late first-half stretch to break this one open and pave the way for a 71-64 win for the home team.
UCF coach Johnny Dawkins' crew led by as many as 19 points on multiple occasions in the first half and then held on down the stretch. East Carolina made more than twice as many field goals (16-7) as the Knights after the break, but the Pirates overall connected on only four of 20 three-point attempts (compared to 10 of 23 for UCF).
"We've been in a tough stretch and it was good to get a win--the energy and effort was good for a good portion of the game," said Dawkins. "We just need to grow from this."
Darin Green Jr. paced the UCF scoring column with 18 points. Darius Perry contributed 13 and Brandon Mahan had 12. Perry and Green Jr. each had six rebounds.
"Coach (Dawkins) always says, 'Do whatever it takes to win,'" said Green Jr. " It came down the stretch and got close, and that's what we did."
The two teams had played to a virtual draw over the game's first 10 minutes, only to see UCF catch fire. From a one-point deficit, the Knights went on a 14-0 run to grab a 28-15 advantage thanks to five consecutive field goals by UCF.
The Pirates had only four field goals in the last 10 minutes of that opening half, finishing at a 37% shooting mark. The Knights, meanwhile, connected on 11 of their final 17 shots from the floor to finish the half with a 42-25 advantage.
Green Jr. had 11 first-half points (three three-pointers), as the Knights turned the ball over only three times before intermission. Junior Jayden Gardner drained five of his six shots for 10 points in the opening 20 minutes for the Pirates (he finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead both teams), but his teammates shot only five for 21.
"For (the first) 20 minutes the things we did in practice the last few days really showed up," said Dawkins.
The Pirates got as close as three points in the second half at 62-59. UCF survived 11 second-half turnovers.
"We can't be satisfied," said Green Jr. "We got up on them, but we've got to come out stronger in the second half.
"This could be a turning point for us. We can't let up."
The Knights won their first game since Dec. 22, a home triumph versus Cincinnati that marked their lone AAC victory until tonight.
The defeat extended an already frustrating January for ECU (7-5, 1-5). The Pirates this month have now lost four straight games in addition to having two others postponed. ECU has not won since defeating Tulane Dec. 22—while the Pirates' lone road victory this season came way back on Nov. 27 at Charlotte.
Next for UCF is a hugely challenging four-game, eight-day road swing: Saturday at Wichita State (4 p.m. EST on ESPNU), Monday at Memphis (8 p.m. EST on ESPN+), next Wednesday at Memphis (8 p.m. EST on ESPN+) and the following Saturday (Feb. 6) at Tulsa (time TBD on ESPNU/2). The Shockers currently stand 8-4 overall, 4-2 in league play, 5-2 at home.
"It reminds me of my NBA days," says Dawkins. "It's an opportunity to compete. We all need to be ready for our opportunities next week."
