Win help Knights feel the comforts of home

The UCF men's basketball team was eager to build on its recent success and avoid another home letdown.

The Knights (5-1) delivered Saturday, earning a 66-53 victory over Northern Kentucky (6-1) at CFE Arena.

UCF had just won the Myrtle Beach Invitational championship, an event where the Knights were sharp and focused after suffering a surprising 80-70 home loss FAU Nov. 11.

“It just shows you what kind of team we are and where we can be if everybody's locked in and we do what we're supposed to do,” UCF 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall said before his team faced off with Northern Kentucky.

“We've got to come into games with a certain focus, no matter who we play. We can't let [what happened versus FAU] happen again, so we kind of shifted our focus, and the guys went up there and we went into the tournament and took care of business.”

Fall followed up his assessment with imposing play on the floor.

He led the Knights Saturday against the Norse, falling just short of a doubledouble with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Aubrey Dawkins added 12 points and five rebounds while BJ Taylor chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Forward Drew McDonald paced Northern Kentucky with 22 points and eight rebounds.

UCF earned a 34-32 halftime lead, then used an 11-2 run early in the second half to put some distance between the Knights and Norse.

Both teams tightened their defense in the second half and went long stretches without scoring, but the Knights did enough to hold on for the win.