No. 12 seed UCF opens second half on 18-1 run, beats 13-seed Oklahoma State 77-62 in Big 12 opener

Tue, Mar 12, 2024
NCAAB News (AP)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Ibrahima Diallo had 17 points and 11 rebounds, C.J. Walker added 12 points and No. 12 seed UCF used an 18-1 run to start the second half and roll to a 77-62 victory over No. 13 seed Oklahoma State to open the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday.

Darius Johnson also had 11 points for the Knights (17-14), who led 35-31 at halftime before cruising into Wednesday's second-round game against 20th-ranked BYU, another Big 12 newcomer and the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

Javon Small hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for the Cowboys (12-20), who finished the season on a six-game losing streak. Eric Dailey Jr. added 12 points and Brandon Garrison had 10.

UCF and Oklahoma State both got off to dreadful shooting starts, combining to go 5 for 25 from the field, and things never got a whole lot better even as the Knights built a 35-31 halftime lead in their first ever game in the Big 12 Tournament.

Their game plan was clear: use their size advantage to their benefit.

The 7-foot Diallo had 11 points and seven rebounds by halftime, and the 6-8 Walker and 6-10 Omar Payne were active around the rim whenever the fifth-year senior from Senegal was able to catch a breather on the bench.

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UCF stuck with that plan in the second half, when Diallo and Walker joined Jaylin Sellers in scoring the first 13 points to stretch the lead to 48-31 with 15:15 to go. And when the Cowboys finally got a free throw from Dailey, the Knights scored five more to extend their run to 18-1 before Dailey finally got Oklahoma State's first field goal of the half with 11:50 remaining.

By that point, the Knights had pushed their lead past 20 and were coasting into the Big 12 tourney's second round.

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Oklahoma State must decide whether to keep Mike Boynton, who has three 20-win seasons but only one NCAA Tournament berth in seven seasons leading the Cowboys. They've also had just one winning record in conference play.

UCF has a quick turnaround, facing BYU in the first of four second-round games Wednesday morning.

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