Darius Johnson made a career-high eight triples and scored a season-high 28 points to guide UCF past visiting Wisconsin-Milwaukee 84-76 on Wednesday night, ending the Knights’ two-game losing streak.
UCF, which beat Milwaukee for the first time in school history after losing twice to the Panthers during the 1990-91 season, finished 5-0 at home in November. The Knights (5-2) also bounced back following losses to then-No. 19 Wisconsin and LSU at the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia.
In a matchup of two of the top rebounding teams in Division I, Milwaukee held a 41-31 advantage on the boards that included 14 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. But UCF countered with an efficient performance from 3-point range, led by Johnson.
The Knights, who entered the game shooting 29.7 percent from behind the arc, made 11 of 24 triples as Johnson converted all but two of his 10 attempts. The senior guard finished 9-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Johnson’s off-balance three with the shot clock running down gave UCF a 68-63 lead with 7:32 left. He made his last three at the 2:05 mark for a 79-72 advantage, and the Knights closed it out with five free throws during the final 84 seconds.
Jordan Ivy-Curry added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists for UCF. Dior Johnson came off the bench to score all nine of his points in the second half and reserve Tyler Hendricks contributed a season-high six points in 12 minutes after he missed the first four games with an injury.
The Knights played without 7-foot-2 freshman Moustapha Thiam, who started the opening six games at center, as well as injured players Jaylin Sellers and Mikey Williams.
Jamichael Stillwell had 14 points (6-of-9 shooting) and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, but Milwaukee’s four-game winning streak ended. The Panthers (5-3) also missed an opportunity to match the program’s best start since the 2013-14 season.
Kentrell Pullian contributed 15 points and eight rebounds for Milwaukee, which was 8-of-22 shooting from long range. Themus Fulks chipped in 13 points and six assists and AJ McKee scored 12 points.
–Field Level Media
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