DALLAS – The UCF men's basketball team (9-3, 1-1 AAC) lost its first game since Dec. 1 and its first in American Athletic Conference play, falling to SMU 72-60 Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
"That's not who we are and that's not who we are going to be," said Dawkins. "You have to give [SMU] credit for how they played defensively as well, but we have to be better with our execution."
UCF started the game off with a bang, going on a 9-0 run to open play before allowing SMU to slowly claw back in, and a 10-0 SMU run to end the half put the Mustangs out in front 27-24.
SMU carried that momentum into the second half, outpacing the Knights 45-36 in the half to secure the victory and claim the top spot in the AAC standings.
The Knights held AAC Preseason Player of the Year Kendric Davis to just three points in the first half, but the point guard put up 17 in the final 20 minutes to finish with a game-high 20 points, with eight rebounds and eight assists.
UCF was led by senior Brandon Mahan, who scored 17 points, while Darius Perry chimed in with 13 and Cheikh Mbacke Diong added 12 in the defeat.
The Knights will now turn their attention to another American Athletic Conference foe in Temple, who UCF beat earlier in the year on Dec. 15 at their place, 75-64. The Knights will play host to the Owls on Jan. 5 at Addition Financial Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Gameday app right to your iOS or Android phone. The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Click here to download the app now.
