UCF 70 - 76 Memphis
Final
  for this game

Jackson leads No. 20 Memphis past UCF

Feb 13, 2014 - 5:42 AM Memphis, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Jackson scored 18 points to go with five rebounds and five assists to lead 20th-ranked Memphis to a 76-70 win over UCF.

Shaq Goodwin scored 14 points and Chris Crawford and Michael Dixon, Jr. finished with 10 points apiece for the Tigers (19-5, 8-3 AAC), winners in three straight and seven of their last eight games overall.

Tristan Spurlock finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Sykes scored 14 for the Knights (9-13, 1-10), losers in nine straight.

"They had a couple runs that they made against us, but we battled back and got ourselves right back in the game," said UCF head coach Donnie Jones.

With the score tied 48-48 with 9:14 remaining, Crawford buried a 3-pointer to ignite a 12-4 run give Memphis a 60-52 lead with 4:28 left. Spurlock sank a pair of free throws moments later, but the Tigers scored eight straight to open up a 68-54 advantage. Dixon and David Pellom scored four points apiece on the run.

UCF wouldn't go down without a fight as the Knights rattled off seven of the next nine points to make it 70-61.

Jackson made a pair of free throws with 42 seconds remaining and Matt Williams hit a 3-pointer on the other end to make it an eight-point game.

Daiquan Walker then stripped Jackson on a blatant missed call. Walker, going for the steal, knocked Jackson to the floor with his shoulder, and recovered the subsequent loose ball. Brandon Goodwin missed a try from long range, but Spurlock cleaned up the miss to make it a two-possession game with 25 ticks showing.

The Knights didn't get closer than six the rest of the way.

"UCF played well and it was one of those games where we were not as sharp as we needed to be in certain areas," said Memphis head coach Josh Pastner. "We were out rebounded and it hurt us in the long run. I was glad we were able to make some free throws down the stretch."

Staphon Blair gave UCF a 16-13 lead with 12:15 left in the first, but the Tigers opened up a 16-0 run to take a 29-16 advantage. UCF rattled off 11 straight to pull within two, but Memphis took a 36-30 lead into the break.

Game Notes

UCF outscored Memphis 48-44 in the paint ... Memphis shot 50 percent from the field, but went just 4-for-14 from 3-point range and 18-for-27 from the free throw line ... Memphis will visit No. 24 Connecticut on Saturday ... UCF visits South Florida on Friday.






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