UCF’s Dior Johnson crafted his second straight explosive offensive outing, netting 28 points as the Knights rallied past Yale on the way to an 87-75 win on Friday night in Orlando, Fla.
After Johnson kept UCF within three points at the break, the Knights (2-0) launched a 13-0 run midway through the second half to take a 74-61 lead over the visitors from the Ivy League.
Johnson, who scored 41 in Monday’s season-opening win over Florida Gulf Coast, was 9-for-17 from the field, 8-for-8 at the line and had seven rebounds. Elijah Hulsewe had 10 points and 10 boards off the bench, and Riley Kugel and Arturo Dean had 10 points apiece.
Riley Fox paced the Bulldogs (1-1) with 24 points and seven boards. Trevor Mullin had 17 points, while Courtney Wallace scored 14. Jordan Brathwaite added 11.
Fox opened the game with a conventional 3-point play, and Brathwaite canned a 3-point jumper for a 6-1 lead inside the first two minutes.
Johnson had seven early points but was the only player on the Big 12 team with a hot hand. Wallace’s second trey sent the Bulldogs up by double digits, 27-16, at 8:51.
After UCF cut the lead to seven, Fox netted eight consecutive points — six on two triples — and Yale worked its way to a 35-22 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
Johnson’s 19-point first half was highlighted by a 4-point play with 1:14 left. His six points down the stretch left Yale up 42-39, while Fox’s 15 points led the Bulldogs.
John Bol’s roll off a screen and dunk 1:05 into the second half put the Knights ahead for the first time, 43-42. UCF led 49-47 with 15 minutes to go.
The contest was tight over the next five minutes. The Knights kept a two-point advantage but could not pull away until running off seven consecutive points. Johnson’s second 3-pointer gave UCF a 68-61 lead with 8:35 to go, and the Knights added six more to make it 74-61.
Fox recorded the game’s second 4-point play with just under three minutes to play, but UCF rolled on to its second victory.