Knights big streak snapped

It took 15 games for the Knights to finally lose one, but it was only their second game in conference play. UCF’s basketball team saw its 14-win streak snap on Houston’s court, falling 76-71.

After a wild month and a half on the court playing at full intensity, the pressure of high-tempo basketball finally collapsed the Knights. The Knights, ranked No. 22/23, finally faced high-pressure play from the other end of the court.

The Cougars jumped out to a big lead early, ripping open a scoring gap as wide as 18 points, and frequently wider than 10 points.

But the Knights fought back, gradually reeling in Houston over the course of the second half of the game, eventually coming within two shots of a lead, but never finding enough chances to take the momentum away from the Cougars.

The loss was the first for the Knights under new coach Donnie Jones, who had transformed the team’s performance on the court.

The Knights showed some of that magic in the second half, as they shot 51.7 percent while picking up key rebounds to help them catch the Cougars.

But a first half was haunted by the grim specter of last season, when the Knights rarely shot better than 40 percent. The Knights shot 22.7 percent in the first half against Houston, hitting only five shots while the Cougars buried 14. Overall, the Knights would shoot 39.2 percent.

There were some bright spots for the Knights. Fouled over and over again by the Cougars, Keith Clanton kept his composure, hitting 11 of 14 free throws en route to 13 points. He also picked up nine rebounds.

Bench center Tom Herzog nailed 13 points in just 12 minutes, going 4-4 from the floor and hitting 5-of-6 free throws.

The Knights continue their road trip this week, traveling to Southern Miss for a 5 p.m. Saturday tip off. The Golden Eagles are 12-3, coming off a 95-65 trouncing at Marshall.