Keyshawn Hall scored 21 points, Jaylin Sellers and Mikey Williams made their much-anticipated season debuts and UCF stayed unbeaten at home with an 86-66 win over in-state foe Jacksonville on Saturday night in Orlando, Fla.
UCF (9-2) successfully wrapped up its nonconference schedule ahead of its Big 12 opener at Texas Tech on Dec. 31. The Knights improved to 8-0 at home this season and will head to Lubbock, Texas, winners of five straight.
Jordan Ivy-Curry netted 19 points and made five 3-pointers for UCF, which never trailed and led 47-29 at halftime.
Sellers, the Knights’ top scorer last season who was injured in an exhibition game, entered with 12:56 left in the first half and promptly had a fastbreak dunk off an alley-oop pass from Hall. The senior totaled seven points, one rebound, one assist and three turnovers in 12 minutes.
Williams, a redshirt freshman transfer from Memphis, played the final 3:12 after also being sidelined for 10 games with an injury.
Robert McCray V tried to keep Jacksonville (6-6) close, scoring a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with four assists. Freshman Enrico Borio added a season-high 11 points with three triples off the bench for the Dolphins, while Chris Arias and Jakari Spence each had seven points.
Hall, who scored 13 first-half points, made 10 of 11 free throws and 5 of 7 shot attempts. Ivy-Curry went 5-of-9 from 3-point range, while Moustapha Thiam totaled 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Darius Johnson chipped in 12 points, six rebounds, five steals and three assists as the Knights registered their largest margin of victory this season.
UCF shot 58.7 percent from the floor (27 of 46) and 58.8 percent 3-point range (10 of 17). The Knights also converted 22 of 25 free throws.
The hosts led by 11 with 2:47 left in the first half before scoring 10 straight points to open up a 47-26 lead. Ivy-Curry sparked the run with a 3-pointer and added two free throws.
Jacksonville never threatened after halftime, and UCF’s lead topped out at 25 points on Benny Williams’ jumper that made it 86-61 with 1:19 left.
–Field Level Media
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