With its postseason plans quickly fading away, UCF turned to the only thing it could play for when it took the court against Utah on Sunday: pride.
Earlier in the week, forward Keyshawn Hall posted a message to fans on social media apologizing for the Knights’ poor performance while showing support for embattled coach Johnny Dawkins.
A heartfelt dispatch acknowledged the team’s frustration, which was mired in one of its worst losing streaks in nearly a decade.
UCF took out the frustration on the visiting Utes, using a 25-9 run midway through the second half as Darius Johnson’s layup with 2.6 seconds left helped to deliver a 76-72 win.
Center Moustapha Thiam tied a career-high with 18 points and 9 rebounds and the Knights forced 19 turnovers.
UCF (14-13, 5-11 Big 12) snapped a seven-game losing streak, the longest in almost a decade (2015-16). It was the first win in 29 days for the Knights, who went from NCAA tournament hopefuls to hoping to finish the season with a winning record.
Utah (15-12, 7-9 Big 12) loses for the seventh time in the eight road games this season, with its only win coming against TCU on Jan. 15.
UCF quickly fell behind 12-2 after struggling from the floor, connecting on just 1 of 5 shots.
The Utes extended their lead to 11 at 15-4 with 13:38 left in the first half before the Knights went on a 9-0 run to close the gap to 2.
UCF continued its strong run, outsourcing Utah 20-4 to take its first game lead at 24-19 with 3:18 left in the half. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the half, with the Knights holding a 30-29 lead at the half.
The Knights forced 12 first-half turnovers courtesy of 8 steals, converting those miscues into 9 points.
Thiam scored 11 points on 5 of 5 shooting, grabbing 5 rebounds in the first half, while Tyler Hendricks added 7. Meanwhile, Jordan Ivy-Curry, Johnson and Hall had 8 points combined while connecting on just 18% (3 of 17) of their shots.
Utah started the second half on a 16-10 run, retaking the lead 43-40.
But once again, UCF went on a run, out-scoring the Utes 17-6 over four minutes, grabbing the lead at 54-49 with 9:27 left. The Knights extended that lead to 11 points with under six minutes left to play.
Utah sliced into the advantage, pulling to within 72-69 with under 30 seconds, but Gabe Madsen’s 3-pointer with 7.6 tied the game at 72.
Ivy-Curry came off the bench for the first time this season and was replaced in the starting lineup by Nils Machowski. The fifth-year senior scored 12 points and added 4 steals.
The Knights were shorthanded again with forward Rokas Jocius on the bench. The 6-foot-10 Jocius had a boot on his right foot. He was averaging 2 points in 8 minutes of play. Guard Jaylin Sellers continued his absence from the lineup, missing his 24th game of the season with an undisclosed back injury.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
Up next
UCF vs. Kansas State
When: 7, Wednesday, Addition Financial Arena
TV: ESPN+
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