First Half Run Pushes UCF Past The Pirates

Wednesday, January 27

Orlando, Fla.

7:45 P.M.

East Carolina University

7-5,1-5AAC

UCF

4-6,2-5AAC

East Carolina

UCF

January 27, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Darian Green, Jr. Scored 18 points to help UCF snap its five-game losing streak with a 71-64 win over East Carolina on Wednesday night.

The loss was the Pirates' fourth straight and second consecutive with head coach Joe Dooley isolated due to COVID-19 protocol.

The Pirates(7-5, 1-5 AAC) trailed by 17 at halftime, 42-25, but mounted a fierce second half rally to pull within three, 62-59, with 4:24 remaining.

"Our communication was that if you want to get back in the game, you're going to have to do it on the defensive end," Pirate associate head coach Steve Roccaforte said. "There's no other way to do it after you're down 17. You're going to have to get multiple stops in a row and limit them to one shot, then we've got to take really good shots on offense.

"I thought our guys were really disciplined in doing that for long stretches in the second half."

However, UCF (4-6, 2-5 AAC) scored five unanswered to go ahead by eight with 2:32 to play with Brandon Mahan sinking a 3 as the shot clock expired to cap the outburst.

Darrius Perry scored 13 points for the Knights, while Mahan added 12, making a trio of 3s.

The Knights sank 10-of-23 3-point attempts and 15-of-22 free throws, including 5-of-8 in the final four minutes.

UCF seized control of the game midway through the first half as it buried five consecutive 3s as part of a 23-3 run to take a 19-point lead, 37-18. Mahan ignited the perimeter barrage before Green and Perry took turns making the next four triples.

ECU started the game by making 4 of its first 6 field goal attempts, but then made just six of its next 21 attempts to end the opening half, while the Knights shot 50 percent (16-of-32) overall and made 6-of-11 outside the arc.

Jayden Gardner led the Pirates with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double. Tremont Robinson-White scored 18 points of 7-of-13 shooting and matched his career-high with three 3s for the third straight game.

The Pirates made just 8-of-17 free throws and were 4-of-20 outside the arc.

East Carolina returns to action Saturday, Jan. 30, against at 12 noon inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

POSTGAME NOTES

Jayden Gardner became the eighth player in ECU history and 17th player in American Athletic Conference lore to reach 1,300 career points.Gardner currently ranks 16th on The American's all-time scoring list with 1,311 points.
Gardner posted his third consecutive double-double and league-leading sixth of the season.
Tremont Robinson-White scored double figures for the third straight game, giving him 62 points over the last three games. He is 9-of-20 outside the arc during the last three games.
The Pirates lost for the first time this season when Gardner scored at least 16 points (6-1).
ECU suffered its first defeat of the year when shooting 40 percent or better from the field (7-1).
ECU shot a season-low 47.1 percent at the free throw line and recorded its second fewest assists of the season, 11.