College Basketball

UCF Men’s Basketball: Knights Defeated Gardner-Webb Behind Bigs

Published

9 years ago

November 16, 2017

ORLANDO (FNN SPORTS) - Without All-Conference honorees Tacko Fall and B.J. Taylor, the UCF men’s basketball team fought through adversity to win 68-65 over visiting Gardner-Webb Wednesday night. Photo: Orlando Sentinel.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Source: UCFKnights.com // Without All-Conference honorees Tacko Fall and B.J. Taylor, the UCF men’s basketball team fought through adversity to win 68-65 over visiting Gardner-Webb Wednesday night and improve to 2-0 on the season.

“That was a good game. You have to give Gardner-Webb all the credit for the way they played,” UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I thought they were prepared. I thought they played hard. Our guys really stepped up. I think they made enough plays at the end to win and that’s what it’s all about. In the end we found a way to win tonight.”

Taylor, who went down in the second half of the season opener against Mercer, fractured a bone in his foot and it was announced earlier this week that he will likely miss four-to-six weeks of action. With the team leader in scoring and assists from a year ago now sideline, the Knights (2-0) had find a way to fill the void against the Bulldogs (0-3).

In comes Terrell Allen. The transfer from Drexel played 21 minutes as the backup point guard on Friday, but with Taylor out, Allen logged a team high 37 minutes on Wednesday. He stepped up as the team’s floor general, finishing with 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, dished out a team high three assists, and picked up three steals.

“I thought Terrell was very solid,” Dawkins said. “I thought he made some huge plays for us in the second half especially. He got into the paint, penetrated, and finished. I think he’s going to grow from this game and be better from this experience tonight.”

Allen also hit a pair of free throws late to help seal the victory. The Knights need the shots from the stripe by Allen and Chance McSpadden to withstand a late Gardner-Webb run.

The Knights had built a double-digit lead late in the second half when McSpadden hit two from the line to make it 58-48 with 7:07 to play. A.J. Davis then gave UCF its largest lead of the contest – at 12 – with a layin, but the Bulldogs did not give in.

Gardner-Webb took advantage of UCF miscues with a 13-3 run that got the Bulldogs back within one point with just 34 seconds left to play. That’s when Allen, McSpadden and collective ball handling by the Knights sealed the win.

Davis and Brown record double-doubles to lead the way

A.J. Davis led UCF with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots in the victory.
It marked the seventh career double-double for the senior and the second straight game with double figures boards.
Davis’s three blocks also tied a career high.
Chad Brown, meanwhile, recorded his first career double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career high five blocks.

“(Chad’s) playing really well. He’s been coming in and giving us energy. He’s really been doing a great job protecting our rim, blocking shots, taking charges, and rebounding; all the things that’s required to be successful in that paint. He’s done a terrific job and I hope he continues.” – Johnny Dawkins

Griffin scores eight of his 12 points in second half surge

Dayon Griffin scored in double figures for the second straight game to start his UCF career, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds on Wednesday.
Griffin scored eight of his 12 points in the Knights’ 16-3 spurt that gave them a 58-48 lead midway through the second half.

The defense showed improvement, holding Bulldogs to 35.8 percent from the field

After giving up 79 points to Mercer in the first game of the season, the defensive performance on Wednesday night was an improvement. The Knights, who led the nation in field goal percentage a year ago, showed signs of that greatness against the Bulldogs, holding Gardner-Webb to 65 points and 35.8 percent shooting from the floor.

“I thought we defended fairly well in the first half to be quite frank, holding them to 28 points, that was a really good job. Overall they scored 65 points. I was a lot happier with that then the almost 80 points they scored the last game. I’m happy that we are starting to work in the right direction defensively getting back to UCF defense and that’s what we have to get to.” – Johnny Dawkins

The Knights will conclude their three-game homestand to start the year on Saturday. UCF hosts William & Mary at 2 p.m.

Basketball

USF Women’s Basketball Opens Season With 80–54 Victory Over Furman

Published

1 week ago

November 5, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — On Monday November 2, at the Yuengling Center, the South Florida women’s basketball team opened with a successful debut undernew head coach Kristy Curry.

The Bulls established control early with a 9–0 opening run, taking a 27–12 lead after the first quarter. Furman narrowed the margin before halftime, but South Florida maintained a 46–32 advantage heading into the break.

A dominant third quarter proved decisive, as USF outscored Furman 23–9 to extend its lead to 69–41 entering the fourth.

Balanced Scoring Leads the Bulls

Stefanie Ingram led South Florida with 15 points, followed by Hannah Kohn with 13 and Kendall Puryear with 12 points and nine rebounds.

The Bulls placed six players in double figures, shot 51.6 percent from the field and controlled the boards with a 48–25 rebounding advantage.

A Winning Debut for Kristy Curry

The victory marked Curry’s first win leading South Florida after arriving from Alabama.

Ahead of the season opener, Curry expressed confidence in the program’s potential:

“I’m so excited to be here. I truly think the sky’s the limit at USF.”

— Kristy Curry, USF Head Coach, in pregame remarks published by USF Athletics.

South Florida (1–0) will face Belmont on Friday, November 6, in Nashville, Tennessee.

– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com

Basketball

USF Men’s Basketball Opens Chris Mack Era With 98–71 Win Over Charleston Southern

Published

1 week ago

November 5, 2026

NISEY LOU S.

USF guard Andrew Shoshkikj charges towards basket against Charleston, Southern Buccaneers defender Photo Credit Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The University of South Florida men’s basketball team opened its 2026–27 season with a 98–71 victory over Charleston Southern on Monday, November 2, at the Yuengling Center, securing new head coach Chris Mack’s first win with the Bulls.

South Florida faced early resistance from the Buccaneers but closed the first half with a 7–2 run, taking a 43–33 lead into halftime.

The turning point came in the second half, when Chris Davis Jr. connected on consecutive three-pointers to help the Bulls extend their advantage. USF scored 55 second-half points while shooting 60 percent from the field to secure the win.

A South Florida Bulls Chris Davis Jr. (#4) protects the basketball while looking for an opening against Charleston Southern’s defense during the 2026–27 men’s basketball season opener at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 2, 2026. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill/ Florida National News

High Leads South Florida’s Offense

Zayden High led the Bulls with a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds, while Sonny Wilson added 19 points and six assists. Chris Davis Jr. contributed 15 points, and Mike James finished with 14.

South Florida placed five players in double figures and recorded 13 steals while limiting Charleston Southern to 21.7 percent shooting from three-point range.

Charleston Southern’s No. 0 attempts a contested shot between South Florida forward Zayden High near the basket during the men’s basketball season opener at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 2, 2026. Photo Credit: Nisey Spruill / Florida National News

A New Chapter Under Chris Mack

The victory marked the beginning of Mack’s tenure at South Florida following the program’s American Conference championship season.

Ahead of his debut, Mack outlined the expectations surrounding the Bulls:
“This program now has championship expectations and we have everything in place to be successful.”
— Chris Mack, USF Head Coach, in pregame remarks published by USF Athletics.

South Florida (1–0) will travel to Chicago to face DePaul on Thursday, November 5, for its first road matchup of the season.

Business

Addition Financial, UCF Extend Naming Rights Agreement for Arena

Published

4 years ago

August 18, 2022

FNN SPORTS

Addition Financial Arena on UCF's main campus. Photo via Trip Advisor.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – UCF has extended its naming rights partnership with Addition Financial Credit Union for an additional dozen years—in the process continuing to identify Addition Financial Arena on the UCF campus as the Knights’ home for men’s and women’s basketball games and a variety of other events.

The new agreement is a 12-year, $20 million partnership that follows up the original naming rights pact signed by UCF and Additional Financial in 2013. The new deal takes effect Jan. 1, 2023.

The UCF Board of Trustees approved the name at its meeting this morning, and the full deal is expected to be approved Aug. 25 by the UCF Athletics Association.

“We’ve had a partnership with Addition Financial for nearly a decade, and we’re excited that Kevin Miller and the Addition Financial Board have agreed to extend our relationship for an additional 12 years,” says UCF vice president and athletics director Terry Mohajir. “This is a great new venture with outstanding community partners.

“Resources will be paramount as we transition into the Big 12 Conference a year from now, and Addition Financial will play a key role for us as we invest more resources to enhance our education and athletics missions!”

In 2013, Addition Financial was named the Official Financial Institution of the UCF Knights and is the exclusive credit union for UCF Athletics. Since that time, Addition Financial has partnered with UCF Athletics to provide scholarships, financial education workshops and other sponsorship support. Addition Financial is also the home of the official UCF Knights debit cards, with designs featuring the new Knight head and the Citronaut.

“Addition Financial is proud to continue our longstanding partnership with UCF Athletics and to align with Orlando’s hometown teams. Knight Nation has truly inspired us along their journey to the Big 12, and we look forward to embarking on that journey alongside them as we extend our partnership,” said Kevin Miller, Addition Financial president and CEO.

The 10,000-seat Addition Financial Arena has been home to the UCF men’s and women’s basketball programs since the start of their 2007-08 seasons. Located in the heart of Knights Plaza on the north side of campus, the state-of-the-art facility opened in the fall of 2007 and also hosts premiere concerts along with UCF commencement ceremonies.