Photos by Dominic Ceraldi
No. 6 UCF defeated No. 11 South Florida, 60-58, in the first round of the 2022 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Thursday, March 10 at Dickies Arena.
With the win, the Knights (18-11) advance to play No. 3 Memphis in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
UCF’s Darius Perry hit a 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds remaining to break a 56-56 tie. After a timeout, Corey Walker Jr made a bucket with 17 seconds to pull within one. After Perry made 1-of-2 free throws, Walker and Javon Greene had 3-pointers bounce off to seal the UCF win.
Perry led four Knights in double figures with 13 points. Darius Johnson had 10 points with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Caleb Murphy led South Florida with a game-high 15 points, while Russel Tchewa recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the first time the two in-state rivals had faced each other in the Championship.
