Cincinnati drops UCF to .500 mark
A second-half surge powered Cincinnati to a 69-51 win over UCF Tuesday night at CFE Arena. Matt Williams had 24 points for UCF, which dropped to 11-11 overall and 5-6 in the AAC.
For the third consecutive game, the UCF basketball team had a player shatter his career-best statistics. This time, it was junior guard Matt Williams, who lived up to his reputation as a 3-point specialist when he collected 24 points on a season-high six 3-pointers.
Despite the string of individual milestones, the Knights lost 69-51 to Cincinnati Tuesday night at CFE Arena.
Turnovers plagued UCF, with the team committing 11 turnovers during the first 12 minutes of the second half and allowing the Bearcats to build a double-digit lead after owning a 31-30 halftime edge.
Overall, the Knights committed 18 turnovers — the most the team has seen since its 19 turnovers during a 75-60 road loss to Tulsa Jan. 24.
Aside from Williams and A.J. Davis, who finished the night with 16 points and seven rebounds, the team struggled to find another consistent scorer. The team shot 38 percent from the field and, again, struggled from the free-throw line, firing just 47 percent.
The loss dropped the Knights to a 5-6 American Athletic Conference record and they are 11-11 overall. Cincinnati improved to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in league play.
Williams gave UCF lift in the first half, scoring 18 points. Before halftime, he’d already matched a season-high 3-pointers made with four. Williams and A.J. Davis led the Knights with a combined 28 of the team’s 30 points in the first half.
Justin McBride, who started his third consecutive game, wasn’t able to get into a rhythm after collecting two fouls within the first three minutes of the game.
Cincinnati guard Kevin Johnson came off the bench to lead the Bearcats with 13 points, while guard Farad Cobb added 12 and forward Gary Clark chipped in 11.
After a two-game homestand, the Knights will travel to Texas to take on Houston Saturday at 3 p.m. UCF swept the Cougars last year, including a memorable road performance by former guard Brandon Goodwin. Goodwin, who transferred to Florida Gulf Coast, nailed two buzzer beating 3-pointers to help the team win 79-78 on the road last year.
UCF is fighting to get back into the win column. The team has just seven games before the American Athletic Conference tips off March 10-13 at Orlando’s Amway Center.
Bulls struggle
While UCF is trying to find its footing, rival USF is in worse shape.
The Bulls suffered their worst defeat of the season Sunday, falling 92-58 to No. 12 SMU in Tampa. Injuries depleted the USF (5-20, 2-10 AAC) roster to the point walk-ons Jake Bodway (26 minutes) and Tre’ Bryant (six) had logged their lengthiest stints of the season.
The Bulls are idle until they play at Temple Sunday.