Mountaineers pound Knights
half and WVU turned the numerous miscues into 17 points off turnovers. By the time the halftime buzzer mercifully sounded, UCF found itself trailing 43-20.
For the game, UCF shot just 24.5 percent from the floor (12-of-49) for the game and hit only 4-of-12 shots (19 percent) in the first half.
“It was a tough night and I give West Virginia a lot of credit. I think they played a really good game,” Dawkins said. “We turned the ball over way too much and that really led to them getting easier opportunities and getting into a nice rhythm.
“I don’t think we ever got into a good flow offensively and they kept us out of running our actions. It’s a good learning experience for this group. We have a lot to work on. Like I said, this tournament would definitely show that. We know the direction we need to go moving forward.”
As if the first half wasn’t enough, WVU kept up the pressure in the second half and led by as many as 42 points late in the game. The Mountaineers went on another big run during which UCF hit just two field goals and was outscored 24-8 in another woeful stretch that spanned nearly eight minutes.
Much of UCF’s troubles were a direct reflection of its inexperience at the guard spot. The Knights started two sophomores and a freshman against a solid senior backcourt of Jevon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. as well as sophomore James Bolden. Carter ended with 16 points and Bolden had 17.
“It’s going to be a teachable moment for us,” Dawkins said. “When you’re playing against experience guards … Carter’s a senior, he’s been through a lot, he’s very experienced and he’s really, really good.
“When you have a player like that out there, along with the length that they have from the other players on their team, you know it’s going to be a tough time for our guys and it’s going to be something they’ve got to grow into. For us it’s very disappointing about how we played and I thought we could have played better, but you give them a lot of credit for making us play that way."
A.J. Davis did manage to sneak into double figures for UCF with 10 points. The Knights almost scored more points from the free-throw line that from the field, hitting 20-of-34 foul shots.
Things won’t get much easier for the Knights. Their third-place-game foe also has stellar guard play. St. John’s was led again by Shamorie Ponds, who scored 31 points in the loss to Missouri. He still managed seven assists and he leads all tourney scorers in the first two games with 57 points. He scored 26 in the Red Storm’s first-round victory over Oregon State.
In the consolation games at H.P. Field House on Friday, Long Beach State held off Oregon State in a backand-forth battle to win 74-69. Nebraska bounced back from its Thursday loss to UCF by trouncing Marist 84-59.