Men's Hoops Surpasses Mercer, 81-63Men's Hoops Surpasses Mercer, 81-63

Men's Hoops Surpasses Mercer, 81-63

by Cam Costa
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Box Score

ORLANDO - Returning to Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday night after a 10-day gap, UCF Men’s Hoops picked up right where they left off, never trailing for a single minute, for the second-straight game. The Knights advance to 9-1 on the season, marking their best start under head coach Johnny Dawkins.

With this win, the Knights are also tied for ninth in Division I’s longest active win streak at eight straight wins, also a best under Dawkins.

"We were excited to get out there and play. It's been a while, and I know our guys were excited, I think we all were. We have been practicing against each other for a while, and it's been good for improvement defensively... I was really proud about the defensive effort because I knew it was going to take enormous effort, to just kind of slow them [Mercer] down. I was really proud of our effort, since Mercer is as scrappy as any team we faced so far this year."

Johnny Dawkinson the Knights' Performance Against Mercer

It was a slow start for the Knights, shooting 30% from the floor midway through the first half, but a 15-2 run over a 6:25 stretch put the Black and Gold up 28-14 with just over six remaining in the first frame, maintaining a fast pace through the opening stretch, scoring 12 of their points on fastbreaks.

Despite the Knights' inefficient shooting, their defense stepped up in the first half, recording seven steals, the most in a half this season. The defensive effort paid off, having forced a season-high 17 turnovers on the Bears, converting them into 18 points throughout the evening.

Four Knights paved the way to victory, scoring in double-figures (Themus Fulks 14, Jamichael Stillwell 12, Jordan Burks 17, Riley Kugel 16). On top of the scoring, Stillwell recorded his fourth double-double for the Black and Gold with 10 rebounds, while Burks nabbed a career-high three steals against Mercer while picking up five boards of his own.

The Knights started the second half electric, nailing four-of-five from the floor early, highlighted by an alley-oop from Fulks to Kugel to go up 47-31 with just over three minutes gone from the second frame.

Building on that momentum, the Knights turned it around in the field goal department throughout the second, shooting their best percentage in a half this season, an impressive 64.3% from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.

The Black and Gold closed the night with five straight field goals to secure their 81-63 victory over the Bears. UCF, with a long-lasting series against Mercer, extends its win streak to four and the all-time series history to 19-13.

UP NEXT
UCF will play its final home non-conference game against FGCU in the debut “Nauty or Knights” theme game Saturday, Dec. 20, for a 5 p.m. tip-off.

SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF men's basketball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action at Addition Financial Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.