ORLANDO, Fla. — UCF men’s basketball lost its third straight game as the Knights fell 82-71 to No. 3 Houston at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday night.
The Knights (13-7, 4-4 AAC) had their starting point guard, Darius Johnson, back for the first time in three weeks. Johnson had missed 4 straight games after suffering a lower leg injury at East Carolina on Jan. 4.
Johnson finished with 9 points and 3 assists in 32 minutes of action while freshman Taylor Hendricks led the Knights with 17 points to go with 4 blocks and 7 rebounds.
Five different Houston players finished in double digits with Emanuel Sharp leading the way at 18 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Jarace Walker was a close second with 17 points while Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead each finished with 14 and J’Wan Roberts added 10.
UCF was able to cut Houston’s lead to 5 points with 7:02 remaining in the game before the Cougars (19-2, 7-1 AAC) responded with a 3-point basket from Sharp and a layup by Terrance Arceneaux, his only points scored.
The deficit for the Knights floated around 8 to 10 points the next four minutes before Houston broke the game open and led by 13 with 1:25 left on the clock with a jump shot from Walker.
The Cougars outrebounded the Knights 38-27 — including 16 offensive boards — which led to 16 second-chance points for Houston. Kelvin Sampson’s squad added 20 points off the bench compared to UCF’s 8.
Nearly 20 NBA scouts were in attendance for the game. Both teams have projected first-round players in Houston’s Walker and UCF’s Hendricks.
ESPN lists Walker as the 8th-best player available in June’s NBA Draft with Hendricks not far behind at No. 24. Houston’s Sasser is just outside the projected first round at No. 31 as well.
The Cougars led by nine points, 36-27, with 4:49 left in the first half before the Knights clamped down on defense before the break.
UCF didn’t allow Houston to score during the next 4 minutes as UCF cut the deficit to 4 points, 38-34, at halftime.
Email Jason Beede at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @therealBeede .
