By Ken Cross
ORLANDO, Fla. – When Houston center J’Wan Roberts made the game-winning shot in the Cougars’ 69-68 win over the UCF Knights, it ended an afternoon where UCF had led over for 30:17 seconds and seemed to have the potential to pull off the upset.
Knights center Mustapha Thiam scored 18 points as he provided an inside challenge for the No. 10 Cougars while Jordan Ivy-Curry scored 14 points Darius Johnson netted 13.
The Knights were coming off of a 91-86 win at Arizona State behind a 40-point effort from Keyshawn Hall, but Houston’s defense started the second half by holding UCF to 0-for-5 from the floor with three turnovers. The Knights fell behind for the first time at 39-38 on a Roberts layup with 16:20 remaining.
“I thought we battled,” said UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins. “I thought we fought as well as they did. Both teams were competing at a high, high level and that’s what you want to see in great competition.”
Roberts had major attention in the Knights’ game plan as he played in a record 151st game in UH history. His athleticism has been major in averaging 10.3 points per game, shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and leading the team in rebounds with 6.6 per contest.
“I thought Mustapha was really disciplined,” explained Dawkins. “He went for the ball instead of just playing position defense and staying behind him and that gave Roberts the option just to take off and go.”
Roberts made the catch and scored the left-handed game-winning layup.
“That was just inexperience,” said Dawkins. “The only way you can gain that experience is to be in those moments in a game like that to learn from it and he will grow from that experience.”
UCF held Houston to 3-of-16 from three as the Cougars shoot 41.9 percent from three while making 21 three-point attempts per game.
“We were just trying to guard them hard. We weren’t trying to take away certain things. Our biggest thing was to guard hard and to play our defense we play every night. I thought that was the mindset we went in with to do and I thought that’s what we were doing most of the game.”
The Knights retook the lead at 67-66 when Hall scored on a layup with nine seconds remaining. Ivy-Curry had hit a three and two free throws to tie the game at 61-61 after Houston went on a 16-4 sprint for a 61-56 lead behind four points each from Roberts and Emanuel Sharp.
Ivy-Curry finished with 14 points and Darius Johnson 13 and UCF shot 40 on the afternoon.
“They make it difficult for your offense,” Dawkins commented. “What we wanted to do is move the basketball, share it, search out a great shot. They make it very difficult. You don’t get many great shots against them.”
UCF is now poised at 12-5 and tied for seventh in the Big XII with Baylor, Utah, and TCU. These four teams are just two games out of second place.