UCF

FLA

Preview not available

Kelly's 21 lead UCF past Florida 67-49 in NIT

AP
Mar 15, 2023

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) CJ Kelly scored 21 points and UCF beat No. 4 seed Florida 67-49 on Wednesday night in the NIT.

UCF (19-14) advances to the second round to play the winner of the Oregon-UC Irvine game.

Kelly shot 9 for 13, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Knights. Taylor Hendricks scored 17 points and added eight rebounds. Ithiel Horton recorded 12 points and shot 5 for 10, including 2 for 6 from beyond the arc.

Riley Kugel led the way for the Gators (16-17) with 13 points. Niels Lane and Myreon Jones each added six points. Florida lost eight of its last 11 contests, and went without its leading scorer, Colin Castleton, since Feb. 15 due to a broken hand.

UCF took the lead with 11:52 left in the first half and never looked back. Hendricks led his team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 35-26 at the break. UCF pulled away with a 9-0 run in the second half to extend a nine-point lead to 18 points. They outscored Florida by nine points in the final half, as Kelly led the way with a team-high 14.

The Knights and Gators squared off for the first time since 2012.

---

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

1st Half
UCF
Knights
35
FLA
Gators
26

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Michael Durr vs. Jason Jitoboh (Gators gains possession)
19:39		Will Richard misses three point jump shot
19:37		Jason Jitoboh offensive rebound
19:30	+3	Myreon Jones makes three point jump shot (Jason Jitoboh assists)	0-3
19:05		Michael Durr misses two point jump shot
19:03		Will Richard defensive rebound
18:53		Jason Jitoboh turnover (bad pass) (Ithiel Horton steals)
18:51		Ithiel Horton turnover (double dribble)
18:26	+2	Kyle Lofton makes two point jump shot	0-5
18:14	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup (Michael Durr assists)	2-5
17:50	+3	Riley Kugel makes three point jump shot	2-8
17:49		Michael Durr shooting foul (Riley Kugel draws the foul)
17:49	+1	Riley Kugel makes regular free throw 1 of 1	2-9
17:35		Ithiel Horton turnover (bad pass)
17:10		Kyle Lofton turnover (bad pass) (Ithiel Horton steals)
16:51		Jason Jitoboh personal foul (C.J. Kelly draws the foul)
16:44	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point jump shot (C.J. Kelly assists)	4-9
16:28		Kyle Lofton misses three point jump shot
16:26		Darius Johnson defensive rebound
16:19		Darius Johnson misses three point jump shot
16:17		Will Richard defensive rebound
16:01		Jason Jitoboh turnover (lost ball) (Darius Johnson steals)
15:54	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup	6-9
15:32		Jason Jitoboh turnover (lost ball) (Darius Johnson steals)
15:21		C.J. Kelly misses two point layup
15:19		Jason Jitoboh defensive rebound
15:12		Riley Kugel misses three point jump shot
15:10		Darius Johnson defensive rebound
14:57		Michael Durr misses two point jump shot
14:55		Kyle Lofton defensive rebound
14:26		Riley Kugel misses two point jump shot
14:24		Michael Durr defensive rebound
14:14	+3	Taylor Hendricks makes three point jump shot (C.J. Kelly assists)	9-9
13:42		TV timeout
13:38		Gators turnover (shot clock violation)
13:22		Taylor Hendricks misses two point layup
13:20		Aleks Szymczyk defensive rebound
13:11		Kyle Lofton turnover (bad pass) (Darius Johnson steals)
13:08		Aleks Szymczyk shooting foul (Brandon Suggs draws the foul)
13:08	+1	Brandon Suggs makes regular free throw 1 of 2	10-9
13:08	+1	Brandon Suggs makes regular free throw 2 of 2	11-9
12:46		Riley Kugel misses two point jump shot
12:44		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
12:36		Darius Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Aleks Szymczyk steals)
12:12	+3	Riley Kugel makes three point jump shot (Myreon Jones assists)	11-12
11:52	+2	Darius Johnson makes two point layup	13-12
11:30		Aleks Szymczyk misses three point jump shot
11:28		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
11:20	+3	C.J. Kelly makes three point jump shot	16-12
10:53		Niels Lane offensive foul (C.J. Kelly draws the foul)
10:53		Niels Lane turnover (offensive foul)
10:53		TV timeout
10:44		Darius Johnson turnover (bad pass)
10:32		Kyle Lofton turnover (lost ball) (Darius Johnson steals)
10:26	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point layup (Darius Johnson assists)	18-12
9:57		Niels Lane misses two point jump shot
9:55		Aleks Szymczyk offensive rebound
9:55		Kowacie Reeves turnover (traveling)
9:38	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point jump shot	20-12
9:08		Alex Fudge misses three point jump shot
9:06		Brandon Suggs defensive rebound
8:49		Taylor Hendricks misses three point jump shot
8:47		Kyle Lofton defensive rebound
8:36		Kyle Lofton turnover (bad pass) (Ithiel Horton steals)
8:32	+2	Ithiel Horton makes two point dunk	22-12
8:14		Lahat Thioune personal foul (Kowacie Reeves draws the foul)
8:02	+2	Denzel Aberdeen makes two point jump shot	22-14
7:41	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point jump shot	24-14
7:14		Denzel Aberdeen misses three point jump shot
7:12		Brandon Suggs defensive rebound
6:56	+2	Brandon Suggs makes two point jump shot	26-14
6:39		Brandon Suggs shooting foul (Myreon Jones draws the foul)
6:39		TV timeout
6:39	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 1 of 3	26-15
6:39	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 2 of 3	26-16
6:39	+1	Myreon Jones makes regular free throw 3 of 3	26-17
6:30		Michael Durr turnover (traveling)
6:10		Riley Kugel turnover (bad pass) (Tyem Freeman steals)
5:59		Tyem Freeman misses two point layup
5:57		Will Richard defensive rebound
5:51	+2	Kowacie Reeves makes two point layup	26-19
5:35		Tyem Freeman turnover (bad pass) (Kowacie Reeves steals)
5:30		Kowacie Reeves misses three point jump shot
5:28		Alex Fudge offensive rebound
5:28		Alex Fudge misses two point layup
5:26		Will Richard offensive rebound
5:26	+2	Will Richard makes two point layup	26-21
5:25		Knights 30 second timeout
4:58		Alex Fudge blocks Michael Durr's two point layup
4:56		Will Richard defensive rebound
4:43		Michael Durr blocks Alex Fudge's two point layup
4:41		Gators offensive rebound
4:33		Alex Fudge misses three point jump shot
4:31		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
4:18	+2	Ithiel Horton makes two point jump shot	28-21
3:58		Kowacie Reeves misses three point jump shot
3:56		Ithiel Horton defensive rebound
3:49	+2	Lahat Thioune makes two point layup (Ithiel Horton assists)	30-21
3:20		Alex Fudge misses two point jump shot
3:18		Darius Johnson defensive rebound
3:15		Darius Johnson turnover (lost ball) (Will Richard steals)
3:13	+2	Will Richard makes two point layup	30-23
2:51		Darius Johnson misses three point jump shot
2:49		Kowacie Reeves defensive rebound
2:47		Darius Johnson flagrant 1 (Riley Kugel draws the foul)
2:47		TV timeout
2:47	+1	Riley Kugel makes regular free throw 1 of 2	30-24
2:47		Riley Kugel misses regular free throw 2 of 2
2:31		Riley Kugel misses three point jump shot
2:29		Ithiel Horton defensive rebound
2:04		Ithiel Horton misses three point jump shot
2:02		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
1:57		Lahat Thioune misses two point layup
1:55		Taylor Hendricks offensive rebound
1:55	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point layup	32-24
1:42		Kyle Lofton turnover (bad pass) (Taylor Hendricks steals)
1:33		Ithiel Horton misses three point jump shot
1:31		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
1:27	+3	Ithiel Horton makes three point jump shot (Lahat Thioune assists)	35-24
1:00		Riley Kugel turnover (traveling)
0:52		Ithiel Horton turnover (bad pass)
0:42		Myreon Jones misses three point jump shot
0:40		Alex Fudge offensive rebound
0:39		Alex Fudge misses two point layup
0:37		Alex Fudge offensive rebound
0:36	+2	Alex Fudge makes two point layup	35-26
0:25		C.J. Kelly turnover (lost ball) (Alex Fudge steals)
0:23		C.J. Kelly personal foul (Alex Fudge draws the foul)
0:23		Gators 30 second timeout
0:05		Myreon Jones misses three point jump shot
0:03		C.J. Kelly defensive rebound
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
UCF
Knights
32
FLA
Gators
23

Time		Play	Score
19:47		Taylor Hendricks turnover (bad pass) (Myreon Jones steals)
19:40	+2	Jason Jitoboh makes two point jump shot (Riley Kugel assists)	35-28
19:14	+2	Ithiel Horton makes two point jump shot	37-28
19:00		Jason Jitoboh misses two point layup
18:58		Michael Durr defensive rebound
18:52		Taylor Hendricks turnover (Kyle Lofton steals)
18:47		Riley Kugel turnover (traveling)
18:32		Darius Johnson turnover (lost ball) (Aleks Szymczyk steals)
18:21		Riley Kugel misses two point layup
18:19		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
18:01		Michael Durr misses two point hook shot
17:59		Myreon Jones defensive rebound
17:57	+2	Riley Kugel makes two point layup (Myreon Jones assists)	37-30
17:57		Ithiel Horton shooting foul (Riley Kugel draws the foul)
17:57		Riley Kugel misses regular free throw 1 of 1
17:57		C.J. Kelly defensive rebound
17:43	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup	39-30
17:14		Myreon Jones turnover (bad pass) (Darius Johnson steals)
17:08	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point dunk (Darius Johnson assists)	41-30
16:41		Kyle Lofton misses three point jump shot
16:39		C.J. Kelly defensive rebound
16:27		C.J. Kelly misses three point jump shot
16:25		Will Richard defensive rebound
16:17		Kyle Lofton misses two point jump shot
16:15		Riley Kugel offensive rebound
16:06		Riley Kugel misses two point layup
16:04		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
15:45		Darius Johnson misses two point layup
15:43		Michael Durr offensive rebound
15:42		Jump ball. Michael Durr vs. Myreon Jones (Gators gains possession)
15:42		Michael Durr turnover (lost ball) (Myreon Jones steals)
15:42		TV timeout
15:21		Niels Lane misses two point layup
15:19		Aleks Szymczyk offensive rebound
15:15	+2	Aleks Szymczyk makes two point layup	41-32
15:03		C.J. Kelly misses three point jump shot
15:01		Aleks Szymczyk defensive rebound
14:36		Myreon Jones misses two point jump shot
14:34		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
14:17	+3	C.J. Kelly makes three point jump shot	44-32
13:44		Niels Lane misses two point jump shot
13:42		Ithiel Horton defensive rebound
13:15	+2	Michael Durr makes two point jump shot (Darius Johnson assists)	46-32
12:58		Ithiel Horton personal foul (Trey Bonham draws the foul)
12:58		TV timeout
12:57		Myreon Jones misses three point jump shot
12:55		Alex Fudge offensive rebound
12:45		Myreon Jones turnover (bad pass) (Taylor Hendricks steals)
12:32	+2	Taylor Hendricks makes two point jump shot	48-32
12:08		Alex Fudge misses two point jump shot
12:06		Lahat Thioune defensive rebound
11:50		Taylor Hendricks misses two point jump shot
11:48		Niels Lane defensive rebound
11:40		Kowacie Reeves misses three point jump shot
11:38		Brandon Suggs defensive rebound
11:27		C.J. Kelly misses two point layup
11:25		Kowacie Reeves defensive rebound
11:17		Myreon Jones misses two point layup
11:15		Lahat Thioune defensive rebound
10:49	+2	Darius Johnson makes two point layup	50-32
10:33	+2	Niels Lane makes two point layup (Kyle Lofton assists)	50-34
10:30		Gators 30 second timeout
10:30		TV timeout
10:06		Lahat Thioune misses two point layup
10:04		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
10:01		Lahat Thioune turnover (out of bounds)
9:49		Taylor Hendricks blocks Kowacie Reeves's two point dunk
9:47		Kyle Lofton offensive rebound
9:39	+3	Riley Kugel makes three point jump shot (Jason Jitoboh assists)	50-37
9:31		Kyle Lofton personal foul
9:22		Kowacie Reeves personal foul (C.J. Kelly draws the foul)
9:11	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup	52-37
8:58		Kowacie Reeves turnover (bad pass) (Brandon Suggs steals)
8:50	+2	Brandon Suggs makes two point dunk	54-37
8:38		Lahat Thioune personal foul (Kowacie Reeves draws the foul)
8:26		Riley Kugel misses two point layup
8:24		C.J. Kelly defensive rebound
8:02		Alex Fudge shooting foul (C.J. Kelly draws the foul)
8:02		C.J. Kelly misses regular free throw 1 of 2
8:02	+1	C.J. Kelly makes regular free throw 2 of 2	55-37
7:48		Taylor Hendricks personal foul (Jason Jitoboh draws the foul)
7:48		TV timeout
7:43		Kowacie Reeves misses three point jump shot
7:41		Brandon Suggs defensive rebound
7:21		Ithiel Horton misses three point jump shot
7:19		Kyle Lofton defensive rebound
6:58	+2	Jason Jitoboh makes two point layup (Kowacie Reeves assists)	55-39
6:42	+3	Ithiel Horton makes three point jump shot	58-39
6:27		Kowacie Reeves misses three point jump shot
6:25		Ithiel Horton defensive rebound
6:12		Lahat Thioune misses two point jump shot
6:10		Will Richard defensive rebound
5:48		Alex Fudge misses three point jump shot
5:46		Riley Kugel offensive rebound
5:40		Will Richard misses two point layup
5:38		Lahat Thioune defensive rebound
5:17		C.J. Kelly turnover (Will Richard steals)
5:11	+2	Niels Lane makes two point dunk (Will Richard assists)	58-41
4:56		Ithiel Horton misses two point jump shot
4:54		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
4:50		Alex Fudge blocks Lahat Thioune's two point jump shot
4:48		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
4:39	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup (Lahat Thioune assists)	60-41
4:21	+2	Alex Fudge makes two point dunk	60-43
4:09		Will Richard personal foul (Taylor Hendricks draws the foul)
3:56		C.J. Kelly turnover (bad pass) (Niels Lane steals)
3:50		Taylor Hendricks blocks Niels Lane's two point dunk
3:48		Taylor Hendricks defensive rebound
3:32	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup	62-43
3:10		Denzel Aberdeen turnover (lost ball) (Lahat Thioune steals)
3:04		Lahat Thioune misses two point layup
3:02		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
3:00		Ithiel Horton misses three point jump shot
2:58		Lahat Thioune offensive rebound
2:37	+2	C.J. Kelly makes two point layup	64-43
2:36		TV timeout
2:23		Aleks Szymczyk misses three point jump shot
2:21		Tyem Freeman defensive rebound
1:56	+3	Thierno Sylla makes three point jump shot	67-43
1:41		Riley Kugel misses three point jump shot
1:39		Niels Lane offensive rebound
1:35	+2	Niels Lane makes two point jump shot	67-45
1:19		Knights turnover (10-second violation)
1:08		Thierno Sylla shooting foul (Denzel Aberdeen draws the foul)
1:08	+1	Denzel Aberdeen makes regular free throw 1 of 2	67-46
1:08		Denzel Aberdeen misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:08		Thierno Sylla defensive rebound
0:51		Poohpha Warakulnukroh misses two point jump shot
0:49		Knights offensive rebound
0:33		Knights turnover (back court violation)
0:23	+2	Denzel Aberdeen makes two point layup	67-48
0:23		Thierno Sylla shooting foul (Denzel Aberdeen draws the foul)
0:23	+1	Denzel Aberdeen makes regular free throw 1 of 1	67-49
0:00		End of period

+ 1

Denzel Aberdeen makes regular free throw 1 of 1