UCF got a balanced effort as the team finally closed out a tight victory in a 94-85 win over Stetson. Still the focus was on Tacko Fall and all he can do.
DELAND, FLA. — It is always hard for Tacko Fall not to stand out. Everywhere he goes, fans chant his name and want to see the 7-foot-6 center out on the floor. He is simply a marvel of genetic luck.
There is quite a bit of skill involved too though. Fall is not some lumbering 7-footer still growing into his body. There is some unfamiliarity with the game remaining, for sure, but when his teammates get him the ball around the basket, there is no stopping him.
Literally, no chance.
How do you front him?: pic.twitter.com/2KAobHxsWx (via @ucfknights)
— Philip Rossman-Reich (@philiprr_OMD) December 3, 2015
There is that awe-inspiring bit about him though. It is sometimes too easy to try and watch and stare him in. That is part of the process of learning to play with a 7-foot-6 center that demands a defense’s entire attention no matter how raw he is.
The Knights got a step closer to figuring that part out Wednesday in DeLand against the Stetson Hatters.
With Fall having scored a game-high 23 points to go with 11 rebounds, making 11 of 12 field goals in the process, A.J. Davis found his cutting and driving space. Davis made a driving layup with Fall clearing the lane of his defender before the drive.
Davis then made his sixth assist with a dish to the corner to Chance McSpadden. The freshman guard, making his first start, hit his second big 3-pointer of the final two minutes to help UCF hold off Stetson 94-85 at the Edmunds Center on Wednesday.
Finally, the Knights had closed out a close game with sharper execution.
“I think the biggest thing is it did get down to one point and we had to get a stop and we executed,” coach Donnie Jones said. “I think the biggest difference was we were able to score the basketball. We were able to get some stops in the previous games, but we weren’t able to complete on the offensive end. We have done a great job putting ourselves in position to win those games with our defense, our offense had to take another step. Tonight, I thought we were able to do that.”
The Knights were able to score the ball constantly throughout the game. They shot 58.3 percent for the game and a blistering 69.2 percent in the second half.
McSpadden was the beneficiary of coach Donnie Jones’ decision to move Davis off the ball more in the wake of B.J. Taylor’s continuing injury. McSpadden logged 28 minutes with Daiquan Walker playing 16 off the bench.
McSpadden was sneaky throughout the game in scoring 21 points and dishing out four assists. He hit 7 of his 11 shots and three of his six 3-point attempts. The two he hit nearing the end of the second half, one out of a timeout on some beautiful execution and the other off a Davis assist, helped UCF hold off Stetson and maintain the lead.
“It felt good,” McSpadden said of his two clutch 3-pointers. “No better feeling than helping your team get a win.”
“It’s a big advantage because we have a lot of depth,” McSpadden added on the team’s offensive balance. “Anybody can come and score at any given time. We look for whoever has the hot hand and whoever has the hot hand is going to take the shots.
Despite McSpadden having a big game and Davis coming in with his run of points (12 points, six assists) or Adonys Henriquez having his turn (14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, including 2 for 6 from three), this game was all about Tacko Fall in every way.
A lot of the Knights’ second-half offense came from high-low action to lob it to Fall over the defense. The Hatters struggled to have a guard crash down and pressure Fall unless the Knights clearly telegraphed the pass.
None of Brian Pegg’s best efforts seemed capable of slowing down Fall. Pegg is after all just likted at 6-foot-9.
The Knights were +12 with Fall on the floor. His ability to block shots and force Stetson to rely on its perimeter shooting bogged the team’s offense down. Fall’s ability simply to catch the ball as the team threw it over the top.
“I just have to give credit to my teammates,” Fall said. “I’m a big man. I got to depend on my guards to create for me and they did a pretty good job of it.”
That would eventually open everything else up in UCF’s offense while he was on the floor. It gave Davis some driving lanes and helped Henriquez and McSpadden attack too.
But it did not come without its warts. The Knights took a 12-point lead midway through the second half and saw the Hatters cut into the deficit, bringing the game to as close as one point with 3:17 to play.
This is where Davis’ playmaking and McSpadden’s shooting came into play to seal the game. As much attention as Fall receives, force feeding him the ball is still not successful offense for the Knights.
Jones admitted the team is still learning how to give Fall touches in the paint within the flow of the offense.
Still, the Knights saw exactly what kind of potential and attention Fall is going to receive throughout the season. He showed a nice running hook shot in addition to a few powerful jams throughout the game.
UCF knew its post play — whether it was Fall or even Staphon Blair and Justin McBride in their limited minutes this game — would be its advantage. That was the mismatch the team continued to exploit throughout.
It was hard not to keep going to the obvious target.
Feeding him exclusively is not going to do enough. The Knights executed both in getting Fall the ball and finishing the game off finally for that elusive second win.
“A win is a win,” Fall said. “It always boosts confidence. I think the guys are going to feed from it and only positivity from that.”
Eric Lopez recorded the video interviews used in this report.
