ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team (8-2, 1-0) used a balanced scoring attack and overcame a tough shooting night from beyond the arc to top visiting North Alabama, 75-64, Wednesday at Addition Financial Arena. With the win over the Lions (7-5, 0-0), the Knights have now won four consecutive games.
UCF got it done on the boards Wednesday night, outrebounding North Alabama by a count of 41-24, including 10 of the offensive variety. The Knights also continued their extreme efficiency from the free throw line, connecting on 16-of-19 attempts in the contest.
The Lions kept the Knights honest in the first half, taking away a key part of UCF's game in the three ball. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the black and gold were only able to sink one of their 11 three-point attempts and were 3-for-21 on the night, but despite the struggles from deep, the Knights took a 43-36 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the half, the two sides traded blows as the Lions didn't let UCF pull away by more than nine points until the final minute of the game, but it was the UCF defense that was the deciding factor over the final five minutes of the contest as the Knights held North Alabama scoreless on eight attempts to close out the game and secure their fourth straight win.
Senior guard Darius Perry led the charge as one of four Knights to reach double figure scoring in the victory. Perry tallied 15 points to go with a career-high nine assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, C.J. Walker added 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, Cheikh Mbacke Diong had 10 points, nine boards and two blocks, and Jamille Reynolds chipped in with a season-best 12 points off the bench.
Off to an 8-2 start to the season, UCF has now won 13 of its last 16 games played dating back to last season.
The red-hot Knights will enjoy a week off for the holidays before returning to Addition Financial Arena on Dec. 30 for a clash with Michigan, scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m.
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