UCF (9-2) won their final non-conference regular season game on Saturday night as they beat the Jacksonville Dolphins (6-6) 86-66 at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando. During their nine game homestand, the Knights beat their opponents by an average margin of victory of 12.25 points.
“This is one of the more versatile teams we have had and I think it showed tonight,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “It’s good to have guys that can score the basketball. We can go to different guys during different times in the game.”
The Knights had four players in double digits, including a game-leading 21 points by George Mason transfer Keyshawn Hall. After a hard foul he took late in the first half, Hall exploded for 16 points, 10 of which came from the charity stripe.
“He gives us a three-level scorer,” Dawkins said. “You couple that with the fact that he draws fouls because he plays such a physical game, he gives you a guy that you can go to in certain situations and he’s a good playmaker for it.”
Another Knight in double digits was fifth-year senior Jordan Ivy-Curry. He connected on five three pointers in the game, marking his third straight game with four or more threes in a game.
“I give all the credit to my teammates for just looking for me,” Ivy-Curry said. “They create a lot of spacing for me to hit shots.”
This game marked the season debut for standout guard Jaylin Sellers, returning from an injury sustained in an exhibition game. He scored seven points in his 12 minutes of play.
“I give all the glory to God,” Sellers said. “For a minute I thought I wouldn’t be able to step back on the court this season. I was happy to start out like that, especially with the fans cheering me on when I first walked on. That almost got me a little emotional.”
It also was the UCF debut for the Memphis transfer and top-recruit Mikey Williams. The Knights crowd erupted with “we want Mikey” chants at the five minute mark of the second half. The guard came in and picked up an assist on a dunk, which made the crowd roar.
“I was just happy to see him out there, getting better and better and I feel like he’s going to be a big impact,” Sellers said.
“He’s a very talented guy. I know he’s going to help us a lot, and we really need him,” Ivy-Curry said.
The Knights shot a season-high 58.8% from behind the arc, which was higher than their field goal percentage of 58.7%. They were also able to hold the Dolphins to 30% from three.
“I think our guys did an excellent job of following the game plan,” Dawkins said. “We started the game off fast, something we had been attempting to do in recent weeks. It really started defensively for us.”
The Knights also forced 17 turnovers by Jacksonville, 12 of those being steals. Senior guard Darius Johnson recorded a team-high five steals. They also blocked four shots, with freshman big Moustapha Thiam recording a game-leading three.
“I think he is getting more comfortable in the physicality of the game,” Dawkins said. “He reclassed up, he’s young, but every time he steps onto the floor for a game or practice, he’s growing and getting better from it.”
Next Up
UCF has a nine day rest for the holidays before they travel to Lubbock to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders, their first conference matchup in the Big XII. This also marks the first true road game for the Knights.
“It’s a new team for us,” said Dawkins. “I think having 11 new players on your roster, to go through a preseason, guys get to know each other and play with each other. We just need to make sure we understand how intense it’s going to be, making sure we understand the type of environments that’s going to be.”
Tip-off against the Red Raiders is at 2:00 PM on Dec. 31.
Other notes:
- Jacksonville guard Robert McCray V led the Dolphins with 18 points and 4 assists.
- The Knights now lead the all-time series against Jacksonville 15-12.
- UCF has won nine of their last 11 games against Jacksonville.
- The Knights held the lead from their first basket and never relinquished it.
- The Dolphins were kept without a three pointer until the three minute mark of the first half.