UCF Knights top Cincinnati Bearcats in upset win

When the UCF Knights fell to Cincinnati 60-50 on Feb. 8, the Bearcats were No. 11 in the nation and a big favorite. When the Knights got revenge with a 53-49 win Sunday afternoon, it was no less a shocker against the now No. 15 team that had dominated all season. Fans rushed the floor after the biggest upset victory the Knights had scored all season came in their final game on their home court.

“It was electric in there,” UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game.

But that win was slow in coming. It took more than three minutes for the first basket to fall, and with that the Bearcats (25-4, 14-2) began building a lead that would hold until near the 10-minute mark in the first half. B.J. Taylor did his best to get the Knights (19-10, 10-7) back into the game with an early three-pointer and a few snag-and-shoots that eventually put the Knights over the top.

That mid-period lead was challenged repeatedly by the Bearcats, as the lead swapped seven times before the Knights pulled away by a long basket before the half.

Despite a brutal fight for the lead, the Bearcats would never hold it again, with the Knights fighting them off with suffocating defense that would hold the Bearcats to near season lows in shooting percentage, with Cincinnati shooting just 26 percent in the second half. The Bearcats’ Jarron Cumberland, who led the team with 10 points in the first period, posted only a successful free throw in the second half.

Meanwhile Taylor hit the gas, draining 27 points for the game high by more than a dozen, tacking on three rebounds at the same time. That personal mission led to an unlikely win against the No. 15 team in the NCAA and vaulted UCF to the fourth rung on the American Athletic Conference ladder.

“We knew it was going to be a dogfight and we were just determined to get the win,” Taylor said after the game.

Just one game remains on the Knights’ radar before the regular season closes out, and it’s a big one, against a rival USF Bulls team that’s collapsed on the court. At 1-15 in the AAC, USF, which has only won seven games overall this season, also holds the worst record in the conference.

The last time the Knights met the Bulls, on Jan. 17, they trounced them 86-64. The game starts at 7 p.m. tonight in Tampa.

UCF women’s basketball

Carrying a six-game winning streak that spanned nearly the entirety of February, the Knights fell 66-60 to Temple Monday in their last game of the regular season.

In a game that started with a 22-8 first quarter run by the Owls and ended with a 22-13 fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Knights, a frenzy of shooting ratcheted up the score. Three Knights were in double digits, with Aliyah Gregory again leading the way with 19 points, shooting 56 percent.

The AAC Championship is coming up, with the Knights (19-10, 9-7) facing No. 5 Tulane (16-13, 7-9) in the first round at noon Saturday at the home of the UConn Huskies. The winner is on to the semifinals Sunday.

Rollins men’s basketball

After a roller coaster ride into February, the Tars are on track with five straight wins, including a 90-85 upset of No. 17 Barry Feb. 15 that saw Jeff Merton come alive with 22 points aided by three other Tars in double digits.

But it was Feb. 25’s game against Saint Leo that really tested the Tars’ resolve, as they fell behind by 17 points in the second half and managed an 82-74 comeback win anyway, thanks to Sam Philpott’s 18 points and Merton adding another 16. The Tars outscored the Lions 50-29 in the second half.

Wednesday night at press time the Tars (18-10, 12-6) were already into the Sunshine State Conference Tournament against Lynn (13-13, 8-10). With a win the Tars will play in the semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Daytona Beach.

Rollins women’s basketball

After taking out Saint Leo 74-61 on Feb. 25, the Tars are into the SSC Tournament, playing Florida Tech at press time Wednesday night. With a win they’re into the semis at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Daytona.

Edgewater girls’ basketball

The Edgewater girls had dominated on their way through the regional playoffs, bearhugging the regional championship trophy early in the title game and daring Sunlake to take it away. That 66-24 win bought them a ticket to the state semifinals, where it would all come crumbling down.

A disastrous 56-28 demolition at the hands of Fort Myers started slowly, with the first quarter ending 14-10, and the second 7-2. But the second half turned into an offensive melee, with the Green Wave racing away with a 35-16 second half scoring differential.

The loss ended the Eagles’ playoff run, and their season, just a game shy of the championship round.