AAC tabs Dawkins player of week
UCF guard Aubrey Dawkins earned American Athletic Conference player of the week honors after leading the Knights to a tournament title during the weekend.
Dawkins, a junior who missed the past two seasons due to NCAA transfer rules and an injury, scored 21 points in the championship game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational to help UCF (4-1) earn a 78-62 win over Western Kentucky (3-2).
He was named the tournament MVP after helping the Knights win three games in four days. UCF also earned a 68-52 win over Cal State Fullerton and a 77-57 win over Saint Joseph’s.
Dawkins averaged 15.7 points and 2.7 3-pointers per game during the tournament.
His biggest contribution came in the championship game Sunday night against Western Kentucky, with Dawkins hitting five 3-pointers and helping UCF erase an 11-point deficit.
“I’m really proud of Aubrey,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said of his son. “I’m happy for him because he’s been shaking off some rust and to see him play the way we know he’s capable of playing was good. He couldn’t have picked a better time to do it.”
Senior point guard BJ Taylor and senior 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall finished with 13 points apiece for the Knights.
“I thought experience was huge in a game like this,” Johnny Dawkins said. “They’re the younger team and we’ve been in situations like this. Two years ago we were playing in the same type of game in another tournament and we weren’t quite there and we came up a little short.”
Taylor was scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting in the first half before making 3 of 4 from the field, including both of his 3-point shots, and 5-of-7 free throws after the break.
Dawkins hit back-toback 3s to open the second half to give the Knights a 34-32 lead, their first of the game. Charles Bassey answered with a jumper but a dunk and then a jumper by Fall sparked an 11-2 run that made it 45-36 after another dunk by Fall with 15:51 to play. Western Kentucky scored seven of the next 10 points to pull within five about four minutes later, but the Hilltoppers would get no closer.
“I challenged our guys at halftime,” Johnny Dawkins said. “We were playing a very good basketball team and we knew it was going to be a battle. I said ‘We can’t start the second half the way we started the first half. We have to play UCF basketball.’ We came out focused and moved the basketball well and our defense picked up.”
Bassey scored 13 of WKU’s first 17 points as it built an 11-point lead midway through the first half. The 6-11 freshman finished with a season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds and has three double-doubles in five career games.
UCF returns home and will host Northern Kentucky Saturday at 6 p.m. at CFE Arena.