Darius Johnson reached 1,000 career points at the UCF, Keyshawn Hall scored a game-high 20 points and the Knights stayed unbeaten with an 80-69 win over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday in Orlando.
UCF went undefeated during its season-opening homestand, winning four games by a combined 27 points. The 4-0 mark ties the Knights’ best start under Johnny Dawkins, now in his ninth season as head coach.
The Tuesday game not only represented a scheduling tie-in associated with the Greenbrier Tip-Off, but it also marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2006. Johnson became the 21st player to score 1,000 points at UCF when the senior guard made a 3-pointer with 12:14 remaining in the game.
UCF ended the first half on a 24-10 run.
The Knights’ Dallan “Deebo” Coleman, a Georgia Tech transfer who finished with a season-high 14 points after netting six total points through the opening three games, started the run with a 3-pointer at the 8:39 mark. Hall’s layup just before the halftime buzzer pushed the lead to 47-32.
Trailing 52-32 early in the second half, Tennessee Tech ripped off a 15-3 surge capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Kyle Layton and Ray Glasgow. Following a timeout, UCF countered with seven straight points that included Johnson’s milestone triple.
The Golden Eagles (3-3) narrowed their deficit to 65-62 with 7:15 to go after Layton made his fourth 3-pointer of the second half and added a free throw to complete a four-point play.
Hall’s strong all-around performance included eight rebounds and five assists. UCF’s Jordan Ivy-Curry had 15 points, four assists and four steals and JJ Taylor came off the bench to score 11 points.
Layton scored all of his career-high 16 points in the second half. Tennessee Tech’s Daniel Egbuniwe had 13 points and Rodney Johnson Jr. (seven rebounds) and Jaylon Johnson (three steals) each chipped in 12 points.
Tennessee Tech entered play Tuesday ranked 352nd out of 355 Division I teams in rebound margin, and the Golden Eagles struggled in that area again. UCF held a 51-28 rebounding edge in addition to totaling 36 points in the paint, 27 second-chance points and 22 offensive boards.
