Three Key Takeaways From UCF Basketball's Ninth Straight Win
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The UCF Knights Men's Basketball team extended its winning streak to nine games after a victory over FGCU, 102-80, on Saturday night.
After a close first half that ended with both teams all tied up, the Knights (10-1) surged in the second half to their ninth consecutive victory, the first time they've officially done so since 2003-2004. It also marks UCF's seventh consecutive win at home, which makes it officially the fourth-longest winning streak in Addition Financial Arena's history.
Here are three key takeaways from the game:
1. They Stayed in the Shootout
Coming into Saturday night's contest, FGCU had not drained more than 11 three-pointers in a single game so far this season. It ended up going 9-11 from beyond the arc in the first half alone, in addition to outscoring UCF in the paint, 16-12. This helped the Eagles (5-7) hold a lead for 12 minutes of the first half.
Despite getting put on the back foot early by a team that came into the game with a 5-6 record, the Knights responded with a three-point onslaught with one of their own, going 10-17 from three-point land. Half of those shots that made it in the basket came from the hands of forward Jordan Burks, who finished with a career-high 23 points, shooting 6-11 from three and 3-4 from the charity stripe.
Burks was not the only one with the hot hand from three-point land. Guard Themus Fulks, guard George Beale Jr. and forward Devan Cambridge all shot for a perfect 10-10 combined, helping pile on what ended up being a historic three-point shooting performance. The Knights ended up going 19-35, or 54.3% from beyond the arc for the whole game, setting a new program record for the most three-pointers made in a single game.
2. They Took Back the Paint
As the Knights resorted to a barrage of three-point shooting to stay in the game allowed the Eagles to get an early advantage in the paint. However, the tide was beginning to turn there as soon as late in the first half as a pair of layups courtesy of Cambridge and Fulks, respectively, capped an 8-0 UCF run to tie the game at the halftime break.
The momentum continued into the second half as the Knights became more of a force in the paint and at the boards.
Coming out of halftime, the Knights utilized layups, mostly, to help create separation early on. UCF ended up outscoring FGCU in the paint in the second half, 22-12.
Meanwhile, at the boards, forward Jamichael Stillwell pulled down five offensive rebounds in the second half, the same number the Knights recorded as a team in the first half. Those helped him finish his game with 13 rebounds, which, put with his 14 points, helped him achieve his fifth double-double of the season.
Center John Bol was also a factor down low, sinking a couple of shots and pulling down seven of his nine rebounds on the night during the second half.
3. Keep an Eye on Kugel
After going 3-20 in his previous two games, guard Riley Kugel looked to be getting his touch back again after shooting 5-15 against Mercer. However, his shooting struggles returned on Saturday night, as he failed to sink a single shot from the floor for the second time this season, going 0-6.
Coach Johnny Dawkins even pulled him from the game for just under nine minutes in the middle of the second half.
He tried to join the Knights' three-point explosion, but ended up missing both of his attempts. He has now missed all of his last 13 attempts from three-point land, extending his shooting drought from beyond the arc to four consecutive games.
The Knights are set to wrap up their non-conference slate at the ESPN Wide World of Sports on Tuesday at 2 p.m. when they take on Florida Atlantic.
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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