Boulder, CO—As the first half wound down, Colorado surged with a crucial 9-2 run in the final two minutes, punctuated by a buzzer-beating layup that electrified the crowd and shifted momentum firmly in CU’s favor.
CU looked to avoid tying the record for the longest losing streak in school history at 0-14 while UCF looked to snap a 5 game skid of their own. In the last matchup on Jan 8th, UCF won with a frantic finish, scoring the final 4 points of the game holding CU scoreless in the last 3 minutes to win 75-74.
This time around the Buffs enjoyed a high altitude home court advantage and knights were looking for someone to step up in 5th-G Jordan Ivy-Curry’s absence, who scored a team high 22 points in their last meeting.
The first half was a game of runs with 3 ties and 6 lead changes with CU taking a 38-36 lead into the half after a buzzer beating layup by CU 1st half leading scorer Bangot Dak as time expired. Every player who entered the game in the 1st half for CU contributed to the scoreboard shooting a collective 43.8% from the field, 30.8% from behind the arc.
Darius Johnson and Keyshawn Hall from UCF lead the knight attack with 11 points each and 42.9% shooting from the field, 33.3% from behind the arc.
The 2 point lead at the start of the 2nd half was the closest the score would be the rest of the game. Buff Foward Andrei Jakimovski shot 80% from the field scoring 10 of his 15 points in the 2nd half while adding an additional 6 rebounds, bringing his total to 7. Julian Hammond III struggled from the field on 2-10 shooting but provided sound free throws shooting down the stretch finishing 6-6 from the line, ending with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Johnson and Hall ended the game with 15 and 19 respectively while Nils Machowski added 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals off the bench.
In the latter stages of the second half, UCF attempted to claw back with a full-court press, but Colorado broke through. Senior Julian Hammond delivered a dagger three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:38 remaining, extending the lead to 70-56 and CU closed the game out with a 76-63 win.
The intensity only escalated on the next possession when a foul on UCF sent Hammond—one of the Big 12’s top free-throw shooters—to the line, effectively sealing the game.
Looking Ahead:
Colorado now turns its attention to Iowa State, hoping to turn their recent struggles into a winning streak when they face the 19-5 Cyclones on February 18. Meanwhile, UCF, now on a six-game skid, will aim for a much-needed victory against Oklahoma State (12-12) on February 19.
