Knights basketball team back in groove

The UCF Knights have bounced back on the court with two straight wins to counter two straight losses they suffered heading into February. Now with nothing but conference play left in the final month of the regular season, they’re looking for a string of wins to vault them back to the top of the Conference USA ladder.

The Knights ended January by devastating Palm Beach Atlantic 84-69 on Jan. 31, in a game that was dominated by UCF from the outset. Though the team fizzled a bit in the waning minutes, they saw strong scoring from some key starters, and another big game from newcomer Kasey Wilson.

Guard Marcus Jordan was again on his game with a 17-point, three-assist performance in only 26 minutes on the court. But it was Wilson raising eyebrows with 15 points and five rebounds in only 20 minutes of off-the-bench work. Keith Clanton grabbed another double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

But it was on Feb. 4 at Dallas that the Knights did the most good to right their record, storming to a dramatic comeback to beat SMU 59-52. In that game Jordan again led the team with 17 points, plus four rebounds. Isaiah Sykes and Tristan Spurlock dropped 15 points each, with Sykes also grabbing eight boards.

Following a Wednesday showdown against Marshall at press time, the Knights will hit the road for a second chance at Southern Miss tipping off 5 p.m. Saturday.