Undersized Knights can’t quite measure up against Shockers
WICHITA, Kansas — The UCF Knights could have just let the Wichita State Shockers shred them Saturday night. They were undermanned, undersized, outgunned and vastly outnumbered inside a raucous Charles Koch Arena.
Although they did come up short during an 87-79 loss, the Knights boarded their flight back to Orlando with the knowledge that even though they had every reason to pack it in, they did not.
“This is basketball, and no one is going to feel sorry for you,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “You have to find a way to compete and find a way to try to win. I thought our guys gave us that opportunity. I thought the guys that came in really stepped up and gave us a chance even though we were a little bit short-handed.”
UCF entered the matchup knowing it would be without 6-foot-5 guard Dre Fuller Jr., who missed his fourth consecutive game with a groin injury. Then Dawkins said prior to tipoff reserve forward Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia was too sick to play.
Matters were made much worse when the Knights’ top two frontcourt players — forward Collin Smith and Avery Diggs — both found themselves quickly in foul trouble. Diggs was whistled four times during his seven minutes on the court, and Smith ultimately fouled out after 15 minutes of action. UCF’s leading scorer, Smith tallied just two points.
“We didn’t anticipate that, that’s for sure, losing our bigs like that,” Dawkins said. “We just have to adjust.”
The Shockers took advantage of the Knights’ lack of size by outrebounding them 45-28 and dominating in second-chance points 19-3.
Wichita ripped off an 18-5 run in the first half thanks to all those extra possessions to go up 33-17 with about 3 minutes remaining until halftime. At that point, besides the lack of depth, UCF was shooting just 21.7% from the field. It was all going wrong. But the Knights didn’t capitulate.
“I thought we were pulling away there and then we got sloppy, and they made some tremendous plays and shots, and made it more of a game than I thought it would be at that time,” Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall said.
The highlight shot of the night came at the first-half buzzer as true freshman guard Tony Johnson banked in a 3-pointer from about 65 feet away to cut the Knights’ deficit to 9.
Johnson entered the game with just six minutes of experience through the team’s first six conference games. Pressed into action, Johnson ended up with 16 points in 16 minutes. He hit four 3-pointers; he had entered the game with just two field goals on the entire season.
“We’re really proud of Tony,” Dawkins said. “In one of the toughest environments in the country, I thought he came in and gave us a huge lift.”
Senior guard Ceasar DeJesus said he wasn’t surprised with what he saw once Johnson got his opportunity.
“He does that every day in practice,” DeJesus said. “He’s probably one of our biggest competitors. I expected him to have a big game this time soon.”
In the second half, the Shockers led by double digits on 10 different occasions. Guards Dexter Dennis and Grant Sherfield were hitting momentum-shifting 3-pointers — baskets that Marshall calls “atomic bombs.”
But UCF kept answering with baskets from Johnson or freshman guard Darin Green Jr., who totaled 14 of his career-high 18 points after halftime.
The Knights cut the lead to as low as 50-46 at the 12:06 mark. But Dennis responded with a 3 to keep UCF at bay. Dennis registered his first double-double of the year by finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The 87 points allowed by UCF were a season-high
For the third time this season, five Knights scored at least 10 points as Johnson and Green were joined by DeJesus, Brandon Mahan and Dazon Ingram, who also fouled out with 7:47 remaining after being assessed a technical foul for arguing with an official.
But for all of the adversity the Knights faced on this particular evening, there is a positive that can be salvaged.
“Whether it’s in practice or games, I know our guys are going to compete,” Dawkins said. “I think they showed it again tonight.”
The loss dropped UCF to 11-8 overall and 2-5 in the American Athletic Conference. Wichita State is 17-3 on the year and 5-2 in the AAC. UCF is winless in four all-time meetings in this series.
Next up for the Knights is a home game versus the Memphis Tigers (14-5 and 3-3 in the AAC). Tipoff inside Addition Financial Arena is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday.