Written by Ernie Casanova
It was the men’s basketball season opener for the UCF Knights here at CFE Arena Tuesday evening, and it couldn’t have been much more entertaining. The Knights had a soundstage prepped for a superstar entrance and had the crowd rocking with the bass all night from the DJ booth. They faced a Rider team that at first gave them a run for their money, but as the game proceeded, it was clear and evident that UCF had a game-plan they wanted to come into effect as they began to execute it. After a contested battle to start, UCF defeated Rider by a score of 84-70 to start the season at a positive 1-0.
After what was supposed to be a promising 2017 season which then came to an abrupt end, the Knights begin the year’s campaign fresh with a fully healthy squad. Aubrey Dawkins played his first regular-season contest in two years for father and head coach Johnny, with B.J Taylor and Tacko Fall entering their senior campaign. With a roster loaded for a major push, this team is aware of what they can do. “You know, once we get out on an open court, we’re as athletic as anybody in an open court with the guys we have in the backcourt”, mentioned Taylor after the game. “We’re hard to guard in transition.”
In the first half, the Knights had a little too much trouble defending the three-pointer as Rider’s first 9 points were from beyond the arc. Knight guard Terrell Allen scored the first points for the team after going down 6-0 early. Dimencio Vaughn and Ahmad Gilbert led the way for the Broncs early in the game, going head to head with the combo of Allen and Taylor who paved the way for the Knights to start. Vaughn hit an early three-pointer and a couple of jump shots to get the rhythm going, with Gilbert provided assistance in exact fashion nailing a couple threes of his own.
Rider began the game on fire shooting 55% from downtown, and they were hanging on to the lead for almost the entirety of the first half. It wasn’t until just under two minutes left that Dawkins hit a turnaround jumper in the middle of a 13-0 run where UCF took a 36-34 lead. After halftime, UCF came out with the same constant pressure and went on a magnificent 27-4 run to take a 57-38 lead with 16:05 still left to play in the game. UCF led by as many as 24, but Rider didn’t want to go down so easily. With four minutes left to play, Rider was only down by 11 points, moving with immense energy and will, but new transfer Collin Smith and Allen laid the game to rest for the Knights. After a tough battle, UCF might need to work on their wing defense going forward, but they gave fans plenty to be excited for.
Vaughn led the way for the Broncs, while Frederick Scott and Tyere Marshall both sat behind him with 11 points. The Broncs’ bench surprisingly outscored the Knights’ by 12, although what really hurt them is losing the turnover battle, 17-11 and letting the Knights score 21 points off turnover compared to the Broncs’ 12.
B.J Taylor led the way for the Knights with a spectacular 22 points and 4 assists while sinking in 10-14 free throws. Dawkins dropped 16 points while only going 5-14, but finished the game with a double-double as he also tallied 10 rebounds along with a couple blocks.
“I know he had some jitters to get out and couldn’t wait to play, it’s been a long time so I think you could see some of that out there but all-in-all, I think he gave us a huge lift,” Coach Dawkins said of Aubrey. “I thought he rebounded well and of course he scored some, but I was really happy with Aubrey’s performance considering how long he has been out.”
On another positive note, Smith finished the night with a double-double as well.
“I thought for his first game, he did a really good job,” Dawkins said of Smith after the game. “He had a double-double and I know he had some jitters being out for a year, but I thought he responded well. I thought he was aggressive and he attacked the glass and he is a good addition to our program.” The forward who transferred from George Washington finished with 14 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while also notching three assists and one block.
The Knights will take on FAU at 3:00 PM ET on Sunday, while the Rider Broncs play Coppin State at home on Monday.
(Image Credit: Chris Tello / The SkyBoat)
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