Knights rally but fall short at Marshall, 65-64

The UCF Knights (13-4, 3-1) went down to the wire in Huntington, W.Va., falling to Conference USA foe the Marshall Thundering Herd (13-4, 4-0), 65-64, after a last-chance shot came up just short Saturday night.

In a game where the Knights continually rallied back, finally retaking the lead late in the second half only to have it slip away, it was a tough pill to swallow.

A lot of hype went into the contest. Head coach Donnie Jones was making his second return to his former stomping grounds, where he is not too popular, and the Marshall fan base didn't take too kindly toward a string of tweets from senior point guard A.J. Rompza and other teammates poking fun at the hotel the team stayed in while in Huntington.

Indeed, UCF fell just short, but the team cannot afford to dwell on the loss for long. The road ahead only gets tougher for the Knights, as they return to their home floor Wednesday to welcome in the Memphis Tigers (12-5, 3-0), marking a second consecutive matchup against a team from C-USA's top tier.

"Any time you're in league play, I don't care what league you're in in the country, the next game is always going to be a tough game," associate head coach Shawn Finney said in his post-game radio interview on the UCF IMG Network. "[Conference opponents] watch film."

Looking back: Marshall

It was a game-long struggle in that every time the Knights rallied back, the Herd responded; UCF finally took the lead late in the second half.

Up by one with under a minute to play, Marshall's DeAndre Kane drove the lane and junior forward Keith Clanton went for a steal. A foul was called and Kane was sent to the line with 14.5 seconds to go, where he eventually knocked down two free throws that would win the game for the Herd.

It was just another frustrating development in a game where things could have gone differently for UCF. The Knights knew rebounding would be key going into the contest, considering Marshall's athleticism and knack for picking up offensive boards, but the Herd was able to compile 16 offensive rebounds leading to 18 second-chance points.

"We talked about rebounding; obviously that was the biggest frustration to me," Finney said. "That's a big difference in the game — they get 18 second-chance points, we get 10."

The Knights received some notable bench performances from sophomore forward Tristan Spurlock (12 points, five rebounds) and freshman forward Kasey Wilson (banked in a big 3-pointer at the end of the first half).

Stand-out juniors Clanton and Marcus Jordan, though, did not match their usual productivity, hurting the Knights' effort. Clanton played only 26 minutes (14 points, eight rebounds) because of foul trouble, preventing him from getting in the flow of the game.

Jordan struggled from the field all night, going three-for-17, but he did make some key buckets down the stretch. Still, up one with under a minute, Jordan missed the front end of a one-and-one, an area where Jordan is usually automatic, and it cost UCF.

Despite the setback, Jones and his staff praised the team for handling the adversity of a hostile, sold-out crowd of 8,379. There were three technical fouls, two of which came in an exchange between players (Spurlock and Marshall's Shaq Johnson); the other came when sophomore guard Isaiah Sykes inadvertently elbowed Marshall coach Tom Herrion running back to get on defense.

"I was proud of how our guys competed," Jones said in a release. "It was a great atmosphere. Our guys had a chance to win the game, and that is where you want to be when you play these types of games."

Looking ahead: Memphis

Now, the Knights must prepare to rebound against the Tigers.

Memphis is riding a six-game winning streak and has notched wins over Miami and Tennessee; three of their five losses have come against Top-25 programs.

The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Will Barton, good for 18.2 points per game. The 6-foot-6-inch Barton also leads the team in rebounding (9 per game).

UCF dropped both games to Memphis last year, and in a season where the program has already notched some significant wins (UConn, Old Dominion, College of Charleston), the matchup with the Tigers presents a chance to pick up a signature home win at the UCF Arena while also staking a claim among the top of C-USA, even following the loss to Marshall.

"That's where we want to be," Finney said. "We want to be battling at the top [of C-USA]."