The UCF men’s basketball team allowed Cincinnati to shoot a season high .647 from the field and a staggering .750 from behind the arc as the Bearcats defeated the Knights 83-60 Wednesday night in American Athletic Conference action.
The Bearcats (19-9, 10-5) used a 9-0 run late in the first half to take a 36-24 advantage before going into the break leading 43-30. Cincinnati shot a staggering 78.3 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes, which was the team’s best shooting performance in a half this season.
UCF (12-15, 5-11) fought back early in the second half, cutting the Cincy advantage to nine points, at 50-41 behind a dunk by junior Staphon Blair and a driving layup by freshman B.J. Taylor, but the Bearcats countered quickly.
Cincinnati used an 8-0 run over a two minute span to extend its lead up to 17 points, at 58-41, with just 12:28 to play. The Bearcats led by as much as 25 and cruised to the 83-60 victory.
Octavius Ellis led five Bearcats in double figures with 20 points and eight rebounds. Shaq Thomas scored 13, Farad Cobb added 11 and Troy Caupain and Gary Clark chipped in with 10 apiece.
The Knights were paced by sophomore Brandon Goodwin, who went for 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in the defeat. Freshman Adonys Henriquez added 11 points, while sophomore Justin McBride finished with 10 points in 16 minutes.
UCF led Cincinnati 23-13 in second chance points and 11-9 in points off turnovers, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bearcats’ hot shooting from the outside and their 44-30 advantage in paint points.
Information Courtesy UCF Athletics