Darius Johnson and Josh Sellers combined for 31 points to help UCF past No.23 Texas Tech, 75-61 on Saturday, putting an end to the Knights’ four-game losing skid.
Johnson shot 5-for-4 from the field, including 3 triples, to lead the Knights with 16 markers. The junior guard out of Boyd Maryland also recorded 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 steals in an all-around effort.
Sellers, who is averaging a team-high 16.5 points, also chipped in with 15 points on a 6-for-11 clip to give UFC their potent 1-2 punch vs. Texas Tech last night.
After leading by just four, 36-32, at the end of the first half, the Knights used a 20-3 run in the second half to keep the favorite Raiders at bay for the rest of the game.
Sophomore guard Darrion Williams put up 19 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Raiders throughout the contest. Senior guard Kerwin Walton added 18 points to Texas Tech, who shot 37 percent from the field and committed 14 turnovers.
UCF vibing with Antonio Brown after knocking off #23 Texas Tech
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) February 25, 2024
UFC head coach Johnny Dawkins pointed out that returning to their ground-and-pound identity was key to finally overcoming Texas Tech and snapping the four-game losing streak.
“We became too much of a perimeter-oriented team and a jump-shooting team. That’s not who we are. We want to ground and pound. We want to touch the paint and play inside-out with our bigs. It took us some time to kind of find our way,” Dawkins stressed.
The win kept UCF’s record above .500 with 14-12 overall record and improved their Big 12 record to 5-9.
The Knights will hit the road for their next game against Oklahoma State Cowboys on February 28.
THE CONVERSATION.