MEMPHIS—Homestanding Memphis ran out to a big early lead and never looked back Monday night. The end result was a 96-69 defeat for head coach Johnny Dawkins' UCF squad at FedExForum.
The Tigers knocked down seven of their first nine shots (hitting their first three three-pointers) to fuel an 8-0 run that gave Memphis a 17-3 advantage less than five minutes into the game.
Turnovers proved the Knights' undoing—as 19 first-half mistakes created large disparities in both offensive possessions and attempts. With eight minutes remaining until halftime, Memphis had exactly twice as many made baskets and shots attempts as UCF (six of 11 shooting for the Knights, 12 of 22 for the Tigers).
"The turnovers led to too many easy baskets. When you (Memphis) score 40 points off our turnovers, that's way too many, almost half of what they scored," said Dawkins. "We've got to be better and more poised out front with the basketball."
A 10-0 Memphis run gave the Tigers their largest first-half lead at 49-25. Memphis had 27 first-half points off turnovers and notched 20 points in the paint.
UCF (4-8 overall, 2-7 in American Athletic Conference action) lost its second straight, both on the road. The Knights are now 1-6 away from home—with that lone triumph coming Dec. 19 at 15th-rated Florida State.
Memphis (10-6, 6-3) won for the fourth time in five outings and triumphed on its home floor for the seventh time in eight attempts this season.
UCF went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 71-51 as Memphis went five minutes without a field goal. But the Tigers immediately responded with an 8-0 run of their own over a minute and a half. Memphis led by as many as 31 points in the second half.
"Our guys never quit," said Dawkins. "The game did not turn out this way because of a lack of energy—it was more a lack of attention to detail and taking care of the basketball. We needed to be more precise with what we do."
UCF senior Brandon Mahan had 15 points and paced his team with six rebounds. Senior Darius Perry contributed 13 points—while sophomore guards Dre Fuller Jr. and Darin Green Jr. each added 11 points.
The Knights finished with 28 turnovers, shooting 40% (Memphis was at 56.3) and losing the rebounding battle by a 33-32 margin. The Tigers were credited with 20 steals and 21 assists.
Memphis redshirt freshman guard Landers Nolley II led his team with 20 points, including four three-pointers, as one of five Tiger double-figure scorers.
UCF is halfway through a challenging four-game, eight-day road swing. Next up are a rematch Wednesday at Memphis (8 p.m. EST on ESPN+) and then a Saturday contest at Tulsa (6 p.m. EST on ESPNU/2).
"This just counts as one game and we've got another opportunity and a chance to redeem ourselves on Wednesday—and we need to come out with the right mindset," said Dawkins.
