UCF basketball: Dior Johnson leads second-half surge past Yale
The Knights overcame a halftime deficit to win 87-75, extending Johnson's scoring streak to six games.
By Matthew Collins ·
Dior Johnson scored 28 points and collected seven rebounds as UCF defeated Yale 87-75 on Friday night in Orlando. The Knights trailed 42-39 at the break, but they outscored the Bulldogs 48-33 in the second half to secure their second win of the season.
Johnson extended his streak of consecutive 20-point games to six. He enters this game having just recorded 41 points in the season opener, a total that set a new Division I program record for opening games. That performance also made him the first Big 12 player to score 40 or more points in a season opener.
The game remained tight until the final ten minutes, when Yale tied the score at 61. UCF coach John Bol initiated a 13-0 run that broke the game open. Isaiah Malone finished the sequence with a three-pointer with 7:44 remaining, putting the Knights ahead by double digits for the final stretch.
Yale shot 39% from the field in the second half, a drop in efficiency that allowed UCF to pull away. Riley Fox led the Bulldogs with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Trevor Mullin added 17 points, while Courtney Wallace contributed 14 and Jordan Brathwaite added 11.
Three other UCF players reached double figures in scoring. Arturo Dean, Riley Kugel, and Elijah Hulsewe each recorded 10 points. Dean scored all of his points in the second half. UCF (2-0) hosts South Alabama on Tuesday, while Yale (1-1) travels to Baylor the same day.
