ORLANDO—The UCF men's basketball team ended one streak Saturday night when it won at Tulsa for the first time after 11 straight defeats.
The Knights had visions of ending a second streak Wednesday night, with Wichita State having won all six of the two teams' previous meetings (all played since 2018).
The Shockers had other ideas—but UCF very nearly spoiled them at the end.
Wichita State senior guard Alterique Gilbert hit a key three-pointer with 33 seconds left and a pair of free throws with 12.7 seconds remaining to enable the Shockers to hold on for a 61-60 victory at Addition Financial Arena. UCF senior guard Darius Perry saw his potential game-winning jumper from the free-throw circle bounce off the rim just before the final buzzer.
"I feel like I've got to make that shot. I feel like I've shot it a million times, but it just didn't go down," said Perry. "The spacing and the kind of shot was what we wanted. I've just got to knock it down."
"He (Perry) played a really good basketball game for us in all facets," said UCF coach Johnny Dawkins. "He did a great job defending (Tyson) Etienne, their best offensive player. It came down to the wire and we came up a little short.
"But I love the shot he took, he took it with conviction--and we'll live with that every time.
"You keep putting yourself in position and eventually you learn to get over the hump. They compete and believe and they played their hearts out tonight."
Perry led all scorers with 27 points. No other Knight had more than nine (Dre Fuller Jr.). Gilbert's 17 paced the Shockers, while Dexter Dennis had 16 (only two points in the second half on a pair of free throws) to go with 10 rebounds. Wichita State's top scorer, sophomore guard Etienne (18.1 per game), hit only one of eight shots and had five points.
UCF battled back in the second half to tie the game at 46 midway through that session on a C.J. Walker three-pointer just before the shot-clock buzzer. The Knights held their last lead at 53-52 after an Isaiah Adams rebound dunk with 3:48 left. It looked like Gilbert's long-distance hoop and free throws would enable the visitors to walk away with a win. But Perry's layup and free throw at :07.9 made it a one-point game. When Wichita State turned it over at :06.8 UCF had one final opportunity, only to see Perry's final look fall away.
"I'm proud of my guys for the fight they put up at the end," added Perry. "Today we put together 40 minutes and that's why the game was the way it was. We've got to build off of this."
UCF drops to 5-10 overall, 3-9 in American Athletic Conference action. Wichita State (12-4, 8-2) won for the fourth straight time, a streak that began with the Shockers' overtime win over the Knights Jan. 30 in Wichita. UCF is 3-3 at home; Wichita State won for the first time on the road since Jan. 2 at Ole Miss.
UCF outrebounded Wichita State 35-31, led by six each from Brandon Mahan and Fuller Jr. UCF had three more field goals and one more three-pointer than the Shockers, but the visitors ended up with a 16-8 edge in free throws made.
The visiting Shockers built a 36-30 halftime edge, in part via an early 10-0 run that helped build a first-half lead as large as 10 (33-23). Dennis scored his team's first seven points and had 14 at the break. Perry knocked down four three-pointers on his way to 14 points at intermission. Both teams had 10 baskets and six three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.
UCF returns to Addition Financial Arena Friday for a second consecutive home date, this one against Tulane (7 p.m. EST on ESPN+). The Green Wave defeated Tulsa 58-48 Wednesday night to move to 8-7.
