ST. AUGUSTINE — Ibrahima Diallo had a go-ahead layup with 16 seconds remaining in overtime after Jaylin Sellers’ grabbed Diallo’s missed free throw and UCF rallied for a 74-71 victory over Charlotte at the Jacksonville Classic on Monday night.
UCF (4-1) will play George Mason in the championship game on Tuesday.
Charlotte (3-2), which won its only previous meeting with UCF, will play South Dakota State in the consolation final earlier Tuesday.
Darius Johnson led Johnny Dawkins‘ Knights with 25 points, adding 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
Sellers hit 3 3-pointers, scoring 19 with 5 of his 6 rebounds coming on offense.
Diallo finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.
Lu’cye Patterson led the 49ers with 21 points and 4 assists before fouling out.
Igor Milicic Jr. had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson Threadgill scored 11.
Charlotte took a 26-22 lead into halftime, but the Knights battled back and used two free throws by Johnson with 11 seconds remaining to knot the score at 59-all and force overtime.
Both teams shot under 43% overall and under 30% from 3-point range, but UCF made 19 of 24 foul shots while Charlotte sank 11 of 16.
The Knights had a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.