ORLANDO – After four consecutive wins and earning the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship, the UCF men's basketball team returns home to face Evansville on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Addition Financial Arena.
The Knights are fresh off a pair of victories in Nassau where they mounted a memorable 17-point comeback against Oklahoma State. The Black and Gold were down 24-7 in the first half and trimmed the deficit to 11 by halftime. UCF used 35 second half points to mount the comeback to force overtime. The Knights only made one basket in the extra session but were able to tally plenty of points from the free throw line and win 60-56. The Knights finished the tournament run in a defensive battle over Santa Clara, forcing exactly 18 turnovers for the third straight game in a 57-50 win.
Taylor Hendricks had a tournament to remember, earning a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double against Oklahoma State and leading the Knights with 19 points against Santa Clara. He was tabbed as the tournament MVP and made the All-Tournament Team along with C.J. Kelly, who led the team in scoring against the Cowboys with 18 points.
Wednesday's contest is the first of four straight home games for the Black and Gold. Evansville visits the Knights on Wednesday before Miami comes to town on Sunday. Samford visits Orlando on Dec. 4 before playing Tarleton State on Dec. 11.
UCF's first and only prior meeting with Evansville was last season when the Knights earned a 75-59 win on the road.
Evansville opened its 2022-23 campaign with a 78-74 road victory over Miami (OH). It was the first game under new head coach David Ragland, who joined Evansville after a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Butler. Since then, the Aces have lost three-straight, falling to Saint Louis 83-65, Southeast Missouri State by a score of 67-61 and SMU with a final of 55-47.
Kenny Strawbridge leads the Aces in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game. Yacine Toumi trails close behind, averaging 13.3 points per game and averages a team-high 7.5 rebounds a contest.
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