It was not an attractive win by any means, but the UCF Knights improved to 4-1 in American Conference play and 10-6 overall as the Knights defeated the USF Bulls 64-54 on Wednesday night at the Sun Dome in Tampa.
Thanks to excellent contributions from the bench through senior forward Shaheed Davis and freshman guard Chance McSpadden along with a volume of accurate free throw shooting (25 for 32, 78 percent), the Knights were able to withstand an early Bulls run and establish a cohesive and steady rhythm through their athletic and deep reserves.
But UCF did not start well as USF stormed to an 11-3 run to start the contest.
Daiquan Walker has been solid for the Knights this season from the point guard position, but he struggled mightily as he was rendered scoreless with only three assists. The opening run was filled with poor shot selection from the Knights, along with opportunistic offense from the Bulls, whose only real offensive threat in the first half came from Jahmal McMurray, who finished with 15 points in the loss.
At the 12:38 mark in the first half, freshmen guards McSpadden and Tanksley Efianayi checked in and the Knights did not look back.
After being down 16-8, UCF used its youth and perimeter agility to make an 11-2 run that narrowed the gap. The Knights had 21 first-half bench points and 34 for the game, while the Bulls only had 10.
Shaheed Davis’ versatility was on display throughout as he scored 15 off the bench, which included three 3-pointers, and grabbed seven rebounds. McSpadden added 12 points and made a crucial deflection during a 3-on-1 fast break to halt a potential alley-oop attempt that would have expanded the Bulls’ lead and shifted momentum. He subsequently hit a three on the other end of the floor to give the Knights the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
UCF’s leading scorer on the season and in the game was sophomore guard A.J. Davis who contributed a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, with 20 points coming in the second half. Davis used a steady diet of free throws (12 for 14) and some surprising three pointers to extend UCF’s lead. Only shooting 17 percent from 3-point range going into the game, Davis knocked down two of three in the game and shot four of nine from the field overall.
USF actually made seven more shots in the game than UCF (23-16), but the difference was on the charity stripe. The Knights outscored the Bulls by 21 points at the line and were able to use their athleticism to force their way into the paint, while USF too often settled for long jumpers and could not find a consistent offensive strategy.
A common theme for UCF this season has been its interior dominance through the likes of Tacko Fall and Justin McBride. But in this particular game, both players struggled to find any consistent opportunities.
Both were in foul trouble throughout, with Fall committing three offensive fouls in the second half and McBride fouling out with 2:35 remaining. Fall finished with five points and nine rebounds and also added a block, but committed four turnovers. McBride showed good touch around the rim and compiled seven points to go along with four rebounds.
This game certainly was not as explosive as the previous contest for the Knights, who trounced East Carolina at CFE Arena by an 89-69 score.
It was a workmanlike effort from a team who was not able to establish the kind of interior presence they would like to. But thanks to the versatility that was added through the injection of Shaheed Davis and McSpadden, as well as A.J. Davis’ excellent second-half production, UCF was able to do enough.
Sometimes, enough is plenty, especially against a USF team that has completely faltered. With the loss to UCF on Wednesday, USF lost its ninth game in a row dropping to 3-17 on the season and continued its winless drought in conference play (0-7).
UCF will travel to Tulsa on Sunday to continue its conference schedule against the Hurricanes (12-6 overall, 4-2 in American).
