NEW ORLEANS – The UCF men's basketball team is set for another road trip in American Athletic Conference play, visiting Tulane on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The Knights are fresh off a thrilling 107-104 double overtime victory over Memphis that saw their record improve to 13-4 overall and 4-1 in league play.
The Knights erased a 14-point deficit to come from behind in the second half as Ithiel Horton nailed the game tying three with under 20 seconds to go. The Black and Gold were down 11 with five minutes to play in the contest, trailing 74-63, and were down five with 52 seconds to go. C.J. Kelly made a pair of free throws prior to the Horton three to send the game into overtime at 78-78. UCF built a lead as high as five in the extra session, but saw Memphis erase the advantage to force the second overtime at 87-87. The Knights never trailed in the second overtime period, improving to 3-1 when going beyond regulation this season.
Horton stuffed the stat sheet for the Knights, posting 30 points, his second straight game with more than 20 points. He went five-of-ten from the three-point line while going a perfect nine-of-nine from the charity stripe. Brandon Suggs joined Horton in going perfect from the free throw line, sinking all seven of his chances. Kelly had the most free throws on the evening, going 12-for-13 and finishing the contest with 21 points. Over the last three games, UCF has had two 30-point scorers, with Horton dropping 30 against Memphis and Kelly doing the same against East Carolina on Jan. 4.
The Knights turn their focus to Tulane, a team they play just once this season in conference play. The Green Wave are experiencing equal success as the Knights in The American, posting a 4-1 record in conference play along with an 11-5 record. UCF, Tulane and Temple are all gridlocked for second place in the conference standings, all one game behind No. 1 Houston who is 5-0 in league play.
Tulane boasts a high-powered offense, averaging 82.2 points per game this season, a mark that is ranked 17th in the country. They've averaged 93.25 points a contest over their last four games en route to a four-game winning streak. Four players average double-digit points for the Green Wave with Jaylen Forbes who tallies 18.7 points per game leading the way. He is closely followed by Jalen Cook with 18.1 points a game. Kevin Cross and Sion James make up the other two 10 or more point per game scorers, recording 14.5 and 11.3 clips.
