UCF's rallys back behind Darin Green Jr. and Brandon Mahan to defeat Michigan

Darin Green, Jr. and the Knights take down the Wolverines.

Author:
Andrew Johnson
Publish date:
Dec 31, 2021 6:46 AM EST

UCF’s Darin Green Jr. recorded a career-high 27 points to stun the University of Michigan 85-71 in front of an electric home crowd on Thursday at Addition Financial Arena.

Both Green and fifth-year senior Brandon Mahan combined for 53 points while seemingly willing the Knights to its fifth straight win and first-ever victory over the Wolverines. Mahan finished with 26 points while the duo combined for 12/16 from behind the arc.

Green credited his career night as a result of playing good basketball with his teammates.

“The ball has energy, so when we play good basketball things like that are capable of happening, especially with the scorers we have on this team," Green said.

It's been a long time coming for UCF to take down a premier basketball program in the likes of Michigan. UCF was simply on fire in the second half, shooting 72% overall. The Knights recorded a season-low six turnovers while shooting 8-8 from three to outscore Michigan 54-36 for the win.

“It’s one of the best second halves we’ve ever had,” Knights Head Coach Johnny Dawkins said. “Our guys really responded well both offensively and defensively.”

The deciding moment for UCF came when Mahan scored the first nine points of the second half after knocking down three straight 3-pointers to start an 18-2 run.

With just over 13 minutes remaining in the second half, Knights junior C.J Walker recorded a huge block that led to a fast-break dunk from Green. On the ensuing inbounds play, Green stole the pass and gave it to Walker for a crowd-igniting dunk to give UCF a 50-49 lead with 13:12 remaining.

"I don't even know what happened," Green said. "I just saw the ball so I scooped it up and gave it to C.J."

The Knights' defense played physical throughout the game by forcing tough perimeter shots while not allowing Michigan to feed their two talented big men.

Fifth-year senior guard Eli Brooks led Michigan's offense with 18 points, while grad transfer guard DeVante’ Jones added 17 points. The All-American candidate Hunter Dickinson finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and freshman forward Moussa Diabate had 13 points and six rebounds.

Despite exhilarating energy from both fans, the first half featured a back and forth matchup. Jones led the way for Michigan, recording seven points and seven rebounds, good enough for team leads. The Wolverines controlled the offensive boards in the first half, out rebounding the Knights 37-32 but were dominated inside the paint throughout the night.

Up 35-31 to start the second half, Michigan opened with a 9-1 run to take a 12-point lead and quieted the crowd momentarily.

Mahan quickly caught fire in the second half, scoring 22 of his 26 while taking over the game for UCF. Following a game-changing dunk from Jamille Reynolds on an assist from Green to take a 52-51 lead, the Knights never looked back.

Reynolds provided valuable minutes off the bench while defending both the paint and perimeter. Reynolds and freshman point guard Darius Johnson saw increased playing time against the Wolverines because of their positive impact on the court and could develop into useful players for Dawkins.

“That comes with the work ethic of the team,” Mahan said. “We go out, work hard and get prepared for each and every game.”

UCF will continue conference play and a push for the postseason on Sunday in a road game against SMU. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m EST.

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