Men's Hoops Ties Best Start in Dawkins Era with 80-69 win over Tennessee TechMen's Hoops Ties Best Start in Dawkins Era with 80-69 win over Tennessee Tech

Men's Hoops Ties Best Start in Dawkins Era with 80-69 win over Tennessee Tech

Darius Johnson becomes 21st in program history to score 1,000 points in winning effort.

by Ryan Ladika
Box Score

ORLANDO – For the first time since four-year center Tacko Fall joined its esteemed ranks Feb. 7, 2019, the UCF men’s basketball 1,000-point club gained a new member.

“It means a lot, an accolade like that is hard to do nowadays,” said senior guard Darius Johnson of becoming the club’s 21st member Tuesday. “To be able to leave my mark on a program and in school history is big.”

On the strength of Johnson’s career milestone and junior transfer Keyshawn Hall’s second straight 20-plus-point showing, the Knights concluded a perfect season-opening homestand, pushing their record to 4-0 with an 80-69 victory over the visiting Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Addition Financial Arena Tuesday evening.

UCF’s latest win tied the best start to a season by the program under head coach Johnny Dawkins, joining its respective 4-0 beginnings to the 2017-18 and 2021-22 campaigns. The Black and Gold’s perfect start through four contests this fall represents the first of those three that includes a victory over a top 25 ranked opponent as well, after the Knights toppled then-No. 13 Texas A&M in their Nov. 4 season-opener.

“I thought we beat a good team tonight, a team that’s very difficult to scout and defend. When we build the lead, we have to learn how to sustain and build on it. Our guys played with a lot of poise down the stretch and gave us a chance to win the game.”

Johnny DawkinsHead coach

Hall was joined in double figures on the evening by Jordan Ivy-Curry’s 15, Dallan ‘Deebo’ Coleman’s 14 and JJ Taylor’s 11, as the quartet helped lift the Black and Gold to their third consecutive game with at least 75 points scored following their 64-61 win over the 13th-ranked Aggies on Opening Night.

Ivy-Curry’s 15-point display marked his fourth straight game in double figures to begin his Knights tenure for a UCF newcomer who entered the evening averaging 18.7 points per game, representing the third-best mark in the Big 12 Conference behind only Utah’s Gabe Madsen and Texas Tech’s JT Toppin.

Coleman, meanwhile, led the Knights through the first four-plus minutes of action Tuesday as the Knights traded shots with the Golden Eagles (3-3), scoring seven of UCF’s first 13 points, including its first 3-point shot, as the team brought a 13-11 lead into the first media timeout 4:34 into the affairs.

As the squad exited the second media break with 11:27 remaining in the first half, Hall, Coleman and Ivy-Curry were at the center of its offensive exploits, combining with their team’s defensive efforts to author a 13-5 stretch that built UCF’s lead to 32-22 with just under five minutes on the clock.

“I thought Deebo was terrific; he gave us a huge lift, especially in the first half. His leadership showed the whole game. He’s a senior and he’s already accomplished in college. He provided that for us, and I was happy to see him knock those shots down tonight.”

Johnny DawkinsHead coach

Johnson, who entered the evening with 994 career points, drilled his first triple of the evening just before Rokas Jocius’ first triple as a Knight, helping UCF to a 47-32 halftime lead.

In the midst of a second-half comeback bid by the Golden Eagles, the Knights’ veteran guard made his second 3-point attempt of the evening with 12:12 to play, clinching the 998th, 999th, and 1,000th points of his collegiate career. He also moved into sole possession of fifth place on the UCF all-time career assists list (337) with his helper on Coleman’s second half-opening 3-pointer.

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“He means a great deal to our program, he’s been a part of some really good moments and he’s leading us again this year. He’s a four-year player in one program, which is rare nowadays. To have a guy who’s been with you for that long, that does a lot for us.”

Johnny DawkinsHead coach

Once Tennessee Tech managed to climb back to within three points, Hall again took over, scoring six points on a 9-2 Knights run to open a double-digit lead back up and pave way for their fourth straight win.

The team’s 52 total rebounds also marked a season high, and the most in a single game by the Black and Gold since their 52 against Jacksonville in the squad’s 94-52 win Dec. 6, 2023.

“We have a lot of guys who can shoot the ball and score,” Johnson added. “We’ll have guys coming back from injury as well, so we’re still building chemistry and continuity together, but it’s just a matter of time before we start putting all these pieces into place and completing the puzzle.”

UP NEXT

The Knights face their first road test of the new season, when the squad will make the trip to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to compete in the Greenbrier Tip-Off at The Greenbrier. UCF will first face No. 19 Wisconsin Friday, Nov. 22, and with a win would match up against either Pitt or LSU Sunday, Nov. 24. Tipoff against the Badgers is slated for 5 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

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