UCF offense comes up short
If rebounds and defensive effort won basketball games, UCF would have done enough to create another magical moment at CFE Arena against No. 13 Cincinnati.
Of course, offense counts. And the Knights struggled to buy enough offensive moments even with the long awaited return of point guard B.J. Taylor during a 49-38 loss to the Bearcats before a packed announced home crowd of 7,565 Tuesday night.
Cincinnati (16-2 overall, 5-0 American Athletic Conference) extended its league-leading win streak to nine games. The Bearcats haven’t lost since Dec. 9. UCF (12-6 overall, 3-3 AAC) dropped its second consecutive game.
Taylor entered the game with just two full practices under his belt and came off the bench to score six points — all in the first half — during 21 minutes played. No Knights managed to break into doubledigit scoring, with Tacko Fall and Terrell Allen each leading UCF points apiece.
Outside of Fall, senior guard A.J. Davis had been one of UCF’s more reliable scorers during Taylor’s absence, averaging 10.8 points per game. But he also struggled to convert from the field, scoring just three points.
“It was good to be back on the floor for sure, [but] wish we could have came out with the victory,” Taylor with seven said. “…That’s about, honestly.”
Cincinnati outscored UCF 34-19 in the second half and much of the damage was done by senior forward Gary Clark. Clark recorded his 24th career double-double to become the all-time leader during the tenure of Bearcats coach Mick Cronin.
UCF and Cincinnati delivered on the promise of a defensive battle. Both all care teams rank among the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage defense. In the Ken Pomeroy stats, the Knights rank No. 4 in defense, just one spot below the Bearcats.
For much of the first half, UCF dominated Cincinnati in the low post with a combination of feisty defensive effort and Fall’s imposing 7-foot-6 presence. He pulled down seven of the Knights’ 26 first-half rebounds. The Bearcats shot just 23 percent from the field overall in the first half and didn’t take their first lead until around three minutes into the second half.
But UCF shared the offensive struggles, shooting just 22 percent in the first half and 30 percent overall. The Knights got several looks at the basket with nine offensive rebounds, but they failed to connect. The challenges extended to the free-throw line, where UCF went 3 of 8.
Taylor led the Knights with six points in just 10 minutes played during the first half. Cincinnati’s Gary Clark led all scorers with 17.