National Basketball Association
Central Florida 98, Bethune-Cookman 54
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 29, 2023
Where: Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, Florida
Officials:
# Rick Crawford, # Gary Maxwell, # John Jenkins Jr.
Attendance:
5188
By Field Level Media
Jaylin Sellers notched 19 points, UCF's bench scored 51 points and the Knights ended their nonconference schedule by thrashing the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 98-54 on Friday night in Orlando, Fla.
Sellers was 4-for-9 from the field, hit half of his six 3-pointers and sank all eight free throws to pace the Knights (9-3) to their fifth win in six games.
Marchelus Avery totaled 11 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Darius Johnson scored 10 points.
Antwann Jones and C.J. Walker each netted a season-high 10 points for UCF, which scored a season high and shot 32 of 67 (47.8 percent).
UCF improved to 21-7 against the Daytona Beach SWAC school and won for the 18th time in Orlando.
Dhashon Dyson scored 15 points, while Jakobi Heady had 14 and nine rebounds. Zion Harmon added 11 for the Wildcats (5-7), who lost their third straight.
The Knights swung the momentum in their favor by cashing in on loose-ball situations early in the first half.
Avery threw down two dunks, and Ibrahima Diallo had a layup and a slam for a 21-13 edge at 11:59.
The home side took off on an 11-0 run that ended with Walker's layup at 8:21 -- his first basket this season. That grew the lead to 28-13.
The teams missed 13 straight shots before Harmon sank two freebies to break the scoreless spell at 28-17.
UCF used a 16-4 stretch to hold a 44-21 halftime lead after Jones, who had 10 points, canned a trey from the left wing in the fading seconds for the final points.
Sellers also had 10 points in the half as UCF held a 20-2 edge in points off turnovers.
While the Wildcats made all 11 shots at the stripe, they were just 5-for-21 from the floor (23.8 percent).
UCF erupted on a 13-4 run to start the second half, getting dunks from Omar Payn and Johnson for a 58-25 lead at 16:11.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Bethune-Cookman |
|
Central Florida |
|
Dhashon Dyson 15 |
Scoring |
Jaylin Sellers 19 |
|
Dhashon Dyson 2 |
Assists |
DeMarr Langford Jr. 5 |
|
Jakobi Heady 9 |
Rebounds |
Thierno Sylla 7 |
|
Jakobi Heady 8 |
Free Throws Made |
Jaylin Sellers 8 |
|
Damani McEntire 4 |
Steals |
Marchelus Avery 3 |
|
James Henderson Jr. 3 |
Blocks |
Shemarri Allen 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Bethune-Cookman
|
54 |
30.5 |
4-16 |
14-15 |
6 |
25 |
3 |
14 |
26 |
| Central Florida
|
98 |
47.8 |
8-23 |
26-33 |
22 |
41 |
3 |
14 |
18 |
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