Missouri's Gholston hits buzzer-beater to stun UCF in Orange Bowl Classic basketball
SUNRISE — The Central Florida Knights fell to the Missouri Tigers 68-66 on a three-point buzzer-beater on Saturday afternoon in the first game of the Orange Bowl Classic doubleheader.
The Knights' (8-3) three-game win streak came to an end when Missouri senior guard Deandre Gholston let it fly from 35 feet with one second left to clutch up a win for the Tigers (10-1).
“Our guys never panicked,” said Missouri head coach Dennis Gates. “We had finals week, our guys did a great job concentrating on finals… and ultimately our guys got in the gym…and did all the necessary things… that takes place for you to win this game.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
A shaky start to a dramatic finish
UCF had good rhythm early on, as they took a 10-0 lead in the first five minutes, leaving Missouri scoreless in their first six possessions. However, graduate point guard Nick Honor showed up and hit four consecutive three-point shots. The Orlando resident scored 17 points, 6-9 from field goal range and 5-8 from the arc.
They found a 15-14 lead from Kobe Brown’s three-pointer, however, they couldn’t maintain it for the rest of the half.
The Knights went into the half with a one-point lead, 36-35, but they couldn’t find it again.
Missouri bounced back with an 11-0 run, with Gholston getting seven in the first five minutes and held a 14-point lead with 13:42 on the clock.
With four minutes left, the Knights leveled it to 60-60 after freshman center Taylor Hendricks made a three-point jumper off a turnover.
With a minute left, UCF had a one-point lead.
Until a rebound in the ninth second that led to a Tiger breakaway and the dramatic late winner.
A moment to remember
Gholston was on the bench for most of the game and played only 3:52 in the first half.
He had much more of an impact in the second half, where he scored 16 points, 6-10 from the paint, 2-3 from the arc and 2-2 from the line.
UCF’s Jayhlon Young missed a three-pointer from the corner with nine seconds left on the clock. Mizzou’s D’Moi Hodge got the rebound and was on a breakaway but fell around the three-point arc.
It somehow ended up in Gholston’s hands and he didn’t hesitate to take the shot.
“This is my third or fourth one (buzzer-beater) in college, so it isn’t a new feeling,” said Gholston in a postgame interview. “With this team and the work we put in, and with the trust the staff have in us as players… We needed this one.”
The Knights charge on
UCF did, however, manage to put up some numbers and a decent performance across the board.
Senior guard Isaiah Horton was the top scorer for the Knights with 19 points. He made 6-14 from the paint and 6-13 from the arc in 32 minutes.
Senior guard C.J Kelly was just behind him with 16 points with five assists in 34 minutes. Darius Johnson ended with 12 points and Hendricks with 11.
Overall, the Knights had a much lower field goal percentage with 42.3% and a three-point conversion percentage of 46.4%, compared with the Tigers' 50% FG and 52% 3PT.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: UCF Knights lose to Missouri Tigers in Orange Bowl Classic basketball
