National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Central Florida 61, Georgia Southern 59
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Where: CFE Federal Credit Union Arena, Orlando, Florida
Officials: # Kevin Mathis, # Ray Natilli, # Steve Olson
Attendance: 3544

UCF 61, Georgia Southern 59: Justin McBride collected 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Kasey Wilson scored the go-ahead basket as the Knights survived the visiting Eagles.

Adonys Henriquez had 11 points and four assists while Wilson added nine rebounds to his seven points for UCF (5-1). McBride went 6-of-7 from the floor and the Knights shot 55.8 percent to help overcome 22 turnovers.

Jelani Hewitt struggled to 17 points on 5-of-20 shooting for Georgia Southern (4-2), which had a four-game winning streak come to an end. Trent Wiedeman scored 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting for the Eagles.

McBride’s dunk gave UCF a 50-45 advantage with just under nine minutes left but Georgia Southern responded with a 13-5 burst, grabbing a 58-55 lead on Hewitt’s 3-pointer with 4 1/2 minutes left. Knights reserve guard Daiquan Walker knocked down a 3-pointer to knot it again, and he and Wiedeman each split a pair of free throws before Wilson’s tip-in with 29 seconds remaining put the UCF up for good.

Neither team gained much separation in the first half and it went into the break knotted at 30. The Eagles led 41-37 six minutes into the second before the Knights responded with a 13-4 spurt to grab a five-point advantage.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hewitt went 3-of-12 from 3-point range and Georgia Southern was 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. … McBride, who set a career high with 31 points last time out, has led the team in scoring the last two games after totaling eight points in the first four contests. … UCF G B.J. Taylor (ankle) missed his second straight game.
Top Game Performances
 
Georgia Southern   Central Florida
Jelani Hewitt 17 Scoring Justin McBride 14
Jelani Hewitt 5 Assists Brandon Goodwin 5
Mike Hughes 7 Rebounds Kasey Wilson 9
Jelani Hewitt 4 Free Throws Made Justin McBride 2
Jelani Hewitt 5 Steals Myles Davis 1
N/A Blocks Shaheed Davis 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Georgia Southern 59 37.3 4-18 11-14 12 23 0 14 9
Central Florida 61 55.8 7-20 6-10 17 30 1 4 22