TAMPA—UCF guard Darius Perry earned his first start in a Knight uniform Saturday night and made the most of it. His career-high 23 points paced both teams—yet they weren't enough to keep a South Florida unit from defeating the Knights 68-61 at Yuengling Center in the War On I-4.
The first four minutes of the second half proved the difference—as the home team bounced back from a one-point halftime deficit to hit its first four field-goal attempts of the second half (and five of its first seven) to grab a 45-38 lead the Bulls (6-4 overall, 2-2 AAC) never lost.
South Florida led 56-46 midway through the second half, with UCF (3-3, 1-2) cutting the margin to three at 56-53 on a pair of Darin Green Jr. free throws. Perry's bucket at the 3:48 mark made it 61-57 for the Bulls, but UCF would not make another field goal until C.J. Walker's dunk finished the scoring with 19 seconds to go.
"I just thought they made more plays than we did in the second half," said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. "They did a good job of offensive rebounding, they got a couple of put-backs. (Senior guard David) Collins got loose too many times even though we tried to contain him.
"They were the more physical team. We got a little worn down and they continued to pound the boards and make plays in the paint."
Perry's effort easily marked the UCF highlight.
"It was good to see him get into a rhythm and be the kind of player we know he is capable of being. He had six assists and we saw more of a chemistry with his teammates," added Dawkins.
UCF played without freshman Isaiah Adams (he had been averaging 11.8 points per contest), who was under the weather.
"Not having Isaiah was tough—we need all our guys out there," said Dawkins.
It was also a tough night for senior guard Brandon Mahan, the league's leading scorer at 20.6 per game. He fouled out in the final minute with two points and three rebounds, making only one of three shots and not attempting a field goal in the second half.
"He's just got to stay aggressive. He can't get lost in the game," said Dawkins of Mahan. "It's a function of learning from these experiences and being better the next time he steps on the floor. He wants to be a great player, and he'll find his way."
Green added 14 points for UCF, while Dre Fuller Jr. led the rebounding column with eight. The Knights shot only 36 percent in the final half.
Collins topped the Bulls with his 19 points. Alexis Yetna contributed 10, while Xavier Castaneda hit three three-pointers and 7-0 center Michael Durr had nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
South Florida finished with advantages in offensive rebounds (14-7), second-chance points (21-8) and bench points (18-9). It was the Bulls' second straight series win after nine straight victories by UCF.
The Knights built an early 11-2 advantage, hitting five of their first six shots – only to see the Bulls go on a 9-0 run to take a 14-13 lead. There were 10 first-half lead changes. Perry knocked down four of his first-half shots, scored eight of UCF's first 15 points and finished the half with 16 points (seven of nine field goals). The Knights connected at a 53.6 percent rate from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
This marked the first UCF game in a week after a scheduled Wednesday contest versus Tulane was postponed by COVID issues.
"It would be great to get into more of a rhythm of playing games," noted Dawkins.
The Knights return home to play host to Memphis at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Addition Financial Arena (ESPNU).
