There was a time — not long ago — when the Memphis Tigers dominated the UCF Knights. When Memphis beat UCF last January at FedExForum, it extended a Tiger winning streak in the series to 11 games (dating back to the 2011-12 season). Those days appear to be over.
In pulling away over the game’s final eight minutes tonight in Orlando, UCF extended the Tigers’ losing streak to three games and earned its third straight win in the series (including a 30-point gut-kicker in last March’s American Athletic Conference tournament). The Knights improve to 11-4 with the victory (2-1 in the AAC), while the Tigers drop to 9-6 (0-2). Memphis has lost its first two league games for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
A.J. Davis led UCF with 16 points and Ceasar DeJesus added 14. Junior guard Kareem Brewton led Memphis with 15 points off the bench while fell transfer Kyvon Davenport scored 11.
The Tigers led at halftime (22-21) despite shooting 32 percent and committing 10 turnovers during the game’s first 20 minutes. They limited the Knights to one-of-11 shooting from long range, only to see UCF hit five of seven three-point attempts after halftime.
The Tigers shot 39 percent from the field and didn’t get their normal boost from point guard Jeremiah Martin (four points on one-of-six shooting). Freshman Jamal Johnson hit a pair of three-pointers to give Memphis a 33-30 lead early in the second half, but they were Johnson’s only two field goals of the game.
The Tigers return home Saturday for their first AAC game this season at FedExForum. Tipoff against Tulsa is scheduled for 3 p.m.
