C.J. Kelly had 20 points and nine rebounds, and UCF scored the first 21 points of the game in a wire-to-wire 72-61 nonconference victory against Ole Miss on Wednesday night in Oxford, Miss.
Taylor Hendricks, who has been named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week for a record-breaking four consecutive weeks, added 17 points, while Ithiel Horton scored 11 and Darius Johnson had 10 for the Golden Knights (8-2).
Matthew Murrell scored 21 points, Josh Mballa had 18 and Malique Ewin added 10 to lead the Rebels (7-3), who were playing the second game of a five-game homestand that concludes with their Southeastern Conference opener against Tennessee on Dec. 28.
Ole Miss fought back behind its bench, which outscored its counterparts 35-6, but it wasn’t enough.
Johnson’s 3-pointer started the second-half scoring and gave the Knights a 39-26 lead after Ole Miss had climbed back into contention after the abysmal start.
Mballa scored four points to help the Rebels pull within 39-33.
Kelly answered with a pair of 3-pointers that gave UCF a 49-39 advantage.
Theo Akwuba and Mballa made baskets to get the Rebels within four points before Hendricks scored four points to help UCF take a 60-50 lead.
Hendricks had five points as the Knights increased the lead to 67-52.
Murrell’s three-point play and Mballa’s layup got Ole Miss within 10 points with 2:51 left.
Kelly answered with a three-point play of his own for a 70-57 lead with 2:03 remaining.
Horton scored seven points and Hendricks and Michael Durr scored four each as UCF opened its 21-0 lead.
Murrell’s 3-pointer produced the Rebels’ first points after nearly eight minutes, but Johnson answered with five points that gave the Knights a 32-10 lead.
Mballa scored six points during a closing 11-0 run that pulled Ole Miss within 36-26 at halftime, but the initial deficit was too much to overcome.
–Field Level Media
