UCF arrived in Tulsa 0-7 lifetime in the sooner state and left tonight still wanting that first win losing 66 to 61. The Knights won the battle of the boards despite being undersized but were extremely careless with the ball committing as the team turned the ball over 16 times against just seven assists. Those issues compounded the Knights’ poor transition defense throughout the game that gave the Golden Hurricane several easy buckets that stopped UCF runs and swung momentum back to Tulsa.
Marcus Jordan continued his road struggles during Conference USA play shooting 1 of 8 from the floor. Jordan is shooting just 24 percent from the floor in road games during conference play as he has converted just 11 of 46 shot attempts so far this season. He compounded a bad night by earning a technical foul with 16 seconds left in the game reacting to a debatable charging call on a play that could have tied the game.
Keith Clanton led the Knights in scoring with 15 points while A.J. Rompza added 11 as the duo were 8 from 18 from the floor. They received little help as the rest of the team was just 11 of 33 from the field. The team was 15 of 21 from the line in one of their better efforts of the season from the free throw line.
In the end, the triumvirate of turnovers, bad transition defense, and poor shooting was too much for the Knights to overcome. They fall to 5-2 in Conference USA play and come home to host the new co-leader in the conference, Southern Mississipi, on Saturday night. The Golden Eagles defeated Marshall tonight and are now tied at the top of the standings with Memphis at 5-1.