UCF kicks off debut Big 12 basketball season with dominant home win over FIU

ORLANDO — Jaylin Sellers and UCF's cast of newcomers made a strong opening impression in Monday night's season opener, its debut as a Big 12 basketball program.

Sellers, a transfer portal addition from Ball State, led all scorers with 23 points and the Knights forced 24 turnovers in an 85-62 home win over Florida International at Addition Financial Arena. Darius Johnson, the lone returner in UCF's starting lineup, chipped in 15 points and Thierno Sylla had nine of the Knights' 30 points from the bench.

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"We beat a team that we knew it would be very difficult to play against, a team that presses for 40 minutes," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. "I thought it was great for our guys. With 10 new players, we had a lot that we had to learn about our players in that type of situation.

"I thought for the first 25 minutes, we played about as good as we could play."

UCF (1-0) pulled away near the end of the first half, going on an 18-8 run during a nearly eight-minute stretch between the second and third media timeouts. The Panthers (0-1) went the final 4:56 of the half without making a field goal.

The Knights led by as many as 30 within the opening four minutes after halftime, thanks to a Sellers straightaway 3-pointer and a breakaway dunk from Shemarri Allen.

UCF held a 37-30 edge on the glass, resulting in 20 second-chance points, and controlled the paint with a 46-26 scoring advantage. Sellers and Payne shared the team lead with six rebounds apiece, and Ibrahima Diallo blocked three shots.

"It's a day-to-day grind. We're learning each other every day," Sellers said. "For the first game, us playing with each other, I felt like he played good together with our chemistry.

"I feel like it was good, but the best is yet to come. I feel like we have a lot we need to work on."

UCF will have a short turnaround before its biggest non-conference test, a Friday trip down south to No. 13 Miami. The Hurricanes went 29-8 and reached the Final Four last season. They crushed the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) 101-60 on Monday.

C.J. Walker to miss time with a knee injury

Less than an hour before tipoff, fifth-year forward C.J. Walker announced via UCF's social media channels that he would miss the start of the season due to a knee injury sustained in the team's final closed-door scrimmage.

Following Monday's game, Dawkins said the minimal-contact injury will require surgery and there is no immediate timetable for Walker's return.

"The doctor says I should be back pretty soon," Walker said. "I wanted to let you guys know because I know you guys have been waiting to watch me play, and I was waiting to get out there. Unfortunately, I will be out for a little bit. Just keep me in your prayers, and I'll be back stronger than ever."

Walker, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound Sanford native, suited up for only four games last year and was shut down for the 2022-23 season on Jan. 8. A former top-25 national recruit who signed with Oregon out of high school, Walker has made 83 appearances for UCF, including 41 starts, and averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and a shade under 1.0 blocks per game.

"We're going to miss C.J. He was doing a terrific job for us this summer," Dawkins said. "My heart goes out to C.J., first and foremost, because I know what he's gone through the last three years.

"That's tough, mentally, for any person who loves this game. … I'm encouraged that it's not something that is going to be a season-ending injury. That's a positive. He has continue to rehab and get himself back together."

UCF began the season without two of its transfer additions: Antwann Jones and Marchelus Avery.

The NCAA denied fifth-year guard Jones' waiver for immediate eligibility this week, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported earlier this week, meaning he will not be available until December. Jones is a multi-time transfer, having previously attended Memphis, Creighton and Louisiana.

Avery, a first-time transfer, signed with UCF in August after leaving New Mexico State amid its program's shutdown due to hazing allegations. However, he missed the deadline to enter the portal since he was not able to have communication with his former coaches or advisors due to the legal investigation, Dawkins said.

"He was put in a position where he didn't have a council of people around him saying, 'Hey, this is how you go into the portal.' What he did was tweeted (his intention to leave) out, thanking New Mexico State for everything they had done," Dawkins said.

"I'm hopeful (the NCAA) will see that side of it and understand. This, to me, it's pretty straightforward. It has nothing to do with anything other than (Avery) was told to do a certain thing, he honored it and I would think if you ask those people, that administration, I'm sure they would confirm that without any problem. I don't see why this situation is so difficult to solve."

UCF women sink Bethune-Cookman with 3-point barrage

Prior to UCF's men taking the floor, the Knights' women's basketball team comfortably opened its season with a 101-63 victory over Bethune-Cookman — its second-highest offensive output in a single game since 1998.

Kaitlin Peterson paced the Knights (1-0) with 31 points, knocking down six of the team's 13 field goals from 3-point range. UCF shot 52% from beyond the arc and outscored the visiting Wildcats 37-16 in the fourth quarter.

Four players finished in double figures for UCF. Laila Jewett and Jayla Kelly scored 14 apiece, and Mya Burns added 10. Achol Akot grabbed 14 rebounds, including eight on the offensive boards.

Chanel Wilson had a team-high 13 for B-CU (0-1), and Kerrighan Dunn scored 10 off the bench.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF men's basketball: Knights crush FIU in season opener