DARIUS PERRY

Throughout the past week, the UCF men’s basketball team has received some positive news regarding the returning of multiple key players from its 2020-21 roster. Four Knights — freshman forward Isaiah Adams, sophomore forward C.J. AdvertisementThe return of Mahan was announced by the UCF Men’s Hoops’ Twitter page on June 11. Chemistry = 💯🧪Time to get to work 👨‍🔬 #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/MwMI7SC9vc — UCF Men’s Hoops (@UCF_MBB) July 6, 2021Adams earned AAC Freshman of the Week honors three times. Today, it was Walker’s return that was announced by the UCF Men’s Hoops’ Twitter page.

UCF honored its three senior players — Avery Diggs, Darius Perry, and Brandon Mahan on Senior Knight — and defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to complete the season sweep, two games to zero. After allowing Tulsa to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit to eventually take a 66-59 lead with 5:47 remaining in the game, UCF stormed back to defeat the Golden Hurricane 73-69. UCF senior guard Darius Perry (2) was responsible for 14 points, three rebounds and two assists during the Knights’ 73-69 win over Tulsa at Addition Financial Arena on March 2, 2021. Sophomore guard Darin Green Jr. also played a vital role in the Knights’ late comeback, scoring 11 points in the second half. UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said he was proud of his players for executing late in the second half.

The UCF Knights faced the South Florida Bulls at home for the second round of the War On I-4 rivalry series this season and were able to avenge the previous loss by defeating the Bulls 81-65 on Wednesday. The sophomore forward shot 5-of-6 from the floor leading the team with 12 points making his last four shots in a row. While the Bulls fought hard inside the paint to close the gap to within 6 points of the lead, the Knights ultimately proved too much for the Bulls. “The thing I really liked was we were able to sustain it,” Dawkins said, in reference to the Knights’ lead throughout the game. The Knights will next take on the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans on Saturday at 3 p.m.

In a game full of runs and lead changes, the UCF Knights were able to pull away from the Tulane Green Wave in the final four minutes of the game on Friday to secure a victory at Addition Financial Arena. After the game, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins praised Walker’s performance. Green Jr. was able to do this by shooting 5-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. “I thought he gave us a great start of this game,” Dawkins said. A 5-minute and 47-second Knights’ scoring drought, however, would allow Tulane to go on an 8-0 run and retake the first-half lead.

Down four points, UCF senior guard Darius Perry facilitated his way into the lane converting an and-one basket to cut the deficit to one. In a full-court press, UCF forced Wichita State into a turnover with eight seconds remaining, giving the Knights one last chance to complete the upset. The scoring would improve from there, as Wichita State would go into halftime leading 36-30. Walker (21) was responsible for 7 points in the Knights’ 61-60 loss to the Wichita State Shockers at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday. With the win, Wichita State improves to 11-4 overall and 7-2 in the American Athletic Conference, while UCF falls to 5-10 overall and 3-9 in conference play.

The UCF men’s basketball team fell to the SMU Mustangs 78-65 at home on Saturday, marking the Knights’ fifth straight loss. After a tight first half of play, the Knights were off to a good start, pulling ahead by one point against the Mustangs. UCF made 48% of its shots from the field, while SMU made 50% in the first half. The Knights’ offense couldn’t find a steady rhythm to match the Mustangs defense in the second half. UCF shot 11-of-36 from the field and 5-of-13 from beyond the arc, while the Mustangs shot 16-of-28 from the field and 2-of-7 from 3-point range.

11 Houston used a dominant first half to cruise to a 75-58 win over UCF on Sunday. Houston (11-1, 6-1 American Athletic Conference) won its fourth straight game since its loss to Tulsa. “It was a great game for us,” Houston guard DeJon Jarreau said. “They made a lot of shots to start the first half off and kind of knocked us back,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. Sampson passed former Houston coach Tom Penders.

The UCF men’s basketball team was defeated by the No. AdvertisementUCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game the team needed to value the ball more than they did. “… I mean, they’re a really good team, we lost a really good team,” Perry said. “But I think there’s a lot to build on.”The Knights finished the game with 17 turnovers, while Houston finished with 10. First-period stats from the UCF vs Houston game on Dec. 26.