CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Darin Green Jr. scored 23 points with five 3-pointers, C.J. Walker had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Central Florida beat Miami 95-89 on Saturday.
UCF led 43-35 at the break and opened the second half on a 9-0 run to build the largest lead of the game at 17. That’s when Miami’s Isaiah Wong took over, scoring 15 straight points for the Hurricanes to get within 60-52.
Green made UCF’s 11th and final 3-pointer with 1:25 left for an 84-74 lead. Miami took advantage of a pair of UCF turnovers and got it to 92-89 with 10 seconds left on Jordan Miller’s layup. But Dre Fuller Jr. sealed it with two free throws.
Brandon Mahan added 15 points, making 10 straight free throws, for UCF (2-0). Isaiah Adams added 12 points.
UCF outrebounded Miami 43-23 to help win its third game in 11 attempts against the Hurricanes. The Knights also have nonconference games scheduled against Oklahoma, No. 22 Auburn, No. 20 Florida State and sixth-ranked Michigan this season.
Kameron McGusty led Miami (1-1) with 28 points and Wong, who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring last season, finished with 20. Sam Waardenburg, who missed all of last season, added 16 points and Anthony Walker had 12. McGusty made 14 of 17 free throws, and Miami attempted 39.
Miami missed 11 of its first 12 3-point attempts and finished 6 for 26.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.