UCF basketball scores 100 in regulation for 1st time since 2014, beats Florida Atlantic

ORLANDO — UCF outgunned one of the nation’s hottest offenses Tuesday night to continue a strong, unbeaten men’s basketball start.

Keyshawn Hall had 20 of his 26 points in the second half, and the Knights (3-0) knocked down a season-high 13 three-pointers in a 100-94 victory over Florida Atlantic (2-1) at Addition Financial Arena. Jordan Ivy-Curry chipped in 22 points (18 in the first half) with four assists, and Darius Johnson scored 21. Benny Williams came off the bench to contribute 17 points and seven rebounds.

UCF entered the night near the bottom of Division I in 3-point shooting (10 for 46) but enjoyed a solid showing from all levels of the floor. The Knights made 54.2% of their field goals, 46.4% of their threes and 92% of their free throws.

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“Coach (Adam) Hood said, ‘Just stay with it. Keep putting in the reps. … They’re open shots. They’re going to go down,'” said Hall, who filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks. “(We have to) stay confident in our shot, and not get discouraged.”

And they had to be sharp against an FAU squad tied for 20th nationally in scoring (98.0 ppg) through its two victories over Indiana State and Coastal Georgia. The Owls opened the night on an 10-1 run and strung together 12 consecutive points in the first 4½ minutes of the second half.

“We did some good things on the offensive end, but defensively, we’ve got some growth in front of us,” FAU first-year coach John Jakus said.

“It’s hard to be encouraged after playing defense like that. I will say I believe in the kids we recruited. I believe that we have depth. I believe that when we share and run (that) we’re hard to guard. For stretches, you saw that tonight.”

Here are three takeaways from a Sunshine State showdown of NCAA tournament hopefuls.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ucf-basketball-scores-100-regulation-043507930.html

Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal

Publish date : 2024-11-13 04:35:00

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