A valiant comeback effort fell short as missed free throws and a potent UCLA offense ended UCF's NCAA Tournament run.
The UCF Knights (21-12, 9-9 Big 12) lasted one dance in the NCAA Tournament, losing to the UCLA Bruins (24-11, 13-7 Big Ten) 75-71 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday.
UCF fought hard against the Bruins, overcoming a 14-point deficit and making the game a one-possession thriller. However, shooting 5-for-16 from the free-throw line proved too much to overcome.
The Bruins send the Knights back to Orlando, while they advance to the second round to face the No. 2 seed Connecticut Huskies (30-5, 17-3 Big East) on Sunday. As UCF's season came to an end, here are some key takeaways from its loss against UCLA.
BRUINS' OFFENSE CLICKED ON ALL CYLINDERS
Four UCLA players scored over 10 points: guards Eric Dailey Jr., Donovan Dent and Trent Perry; and forward Xavier Booker. Dailey led the Bruins with 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The Palmetto native carried his team's offense in the first half, scoring 12 points, which eclipsed his season average of 11.3 points.
Dent, Perry and Booker made their contributions in the second half, making crucial buckets for the Bruins to maintain a cushion over the Knights.
UCF SLOPPY FIRST HALF OFFENSE, UNCHARACTERISTIC TURNOVERS
The Knights average 11.2 turnovers a game, and UCLA forced them to commit 11 turnovers in the first half. UCLA's defense caused havoc and disrupted UCF's offensive rhythm.
"I think they had 14 points scored off of our turnovers in the first half," coach Johnny Dawkins said. "That's a huge number. That definitely contributed to the deficit that we had at halftime."
Dent played a significant role in the Bruins disruptive defense, recording five steals in the half and orchestrating the fast break to help UCLA lead 35-27 at halftime.
THE KNIGHTS SHOW THEIR RESILIENCE, ALMOST SCARE UCLA
Three-point shooting is a hallmark for UCF, and the team heated up at the right time to give itself a shot at upsetting UCLA. Forward Jordan Burks hit five threes in the second half.
Burks' three-pointers cut the Bruins' lead to three points twice during the game. However, the three-point deficit became the hump UCF couldn't overcome in the end.
UCF LEAVES A LEGACY AT THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Despite the loss, the Knights left their legacy in the Xfinity Mobile Arena. They proved the critics — who predicted they would finish at the bottom of the Big 12 and not make the NCAA Tournament — wrong.
Most importantly, Dawkins believes they are building the foundation for a rising basketball program.
"When you think of the foundation being laid for us in the Big 12, you'll think of guys like Themus Fulks, Jamichael Stillwell, Devan Cambridge, Riley Kugel, our seniors, George Beale Jr.," Dawkins said. "All of our guys that were upperclassmen that were instrumental in us doing this because we couldn't do any of this without those guys."George Beale Jr
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