An after-the-fact overturn of goaltending (that negated a putback) loomed large again.
In a battle of mediocre Big 12 teams, UCF was slightly less mediocre for just long enough to pull out an 80-76 victory over Kansas State in Orlando Wednesday evening.
The referees were highly involved, and UCF’s 19-25 effort from the free throw line exactly matched scoring differential, as K-State made 15 of 21 attempts. But saying that was the only difference be over-simplifying things.
The Wildcats (13-15, 7-10 Big 12) erased a 9-point deficit to hold a 34-31 lead late in the first half. But they were scoreless over the last 4:04, allowing the Knights (14-14, 6-11) a 10-0 run to lead 41-34 at halftime. UCF started its run with a couple of jump-shots, and finished it with wide open drives to the hoop.
After the break, the teams traded runs until UCF extended its lead to 11 on a Benny Williams layup with 5:48 to play, and it appeared the game was out of reach.
David N’Guessan and the Jones boys had other ideas. Max Jones knocked in two free throws to reduce the deficit to single digits at 69-60, and CJ Jones converted a UCF turnover into a layup and made a difficult gliding jumper through contact. He completed the three-point play to tighten the score to 69-65.
N’Guessan made consecutive baskets to answer UCF buckets and keep the margin at 4, and two more free throws from Max Jones made it a 73-71 contest with 2:11 to play.
A play earlier in the half loomed large late in the game. With 15:16 on the clock, Dug McDaniel drove for a layup. UCF freshman Moustapha Thiam, who was playing volleyball in the paint all night with 8 spiked shots, got above the rim to block Dug’s attempt near the backboard. Goaltending was called; points were put on the board for K-State.
At a later media timeout, officials determined that the block was clean. That appeared to be the correct call. Unfortunately, at the time, Max Jones had made a follow shot. Because of the whistle and subsequent reversal, that putback was negated.
K-State was within 2 at the 2:11 mark, the 1:32 mark, and again with 13 seconds to play. Had the score been tied (as it should have been), would the outcome have been the same? We’ll never know.
This is not to say that the officials got the goaltend call wrong within the application of the rules. But given that this has happened twice to K-State in the space of a month, maybe there is a problem with the rule.
Two other late calls certainly affected the outcome, as well. First, Brendan Hausen caught a pass in the corner and appeared to be shoved out of bounds. The call? He stepped out. No foul.
Then, with 13 seconds remaining (remember, the Cats were down 2), CJ Jones bracketed his man and knocked the ball loose. It made contact with the inbound man, who was half-in, half-out on the baseline. The baseline official called K-State basketball, only to have the halfcourt official assess a foul on Jones from 30 feet away.
Two Keyshawn Hall free throws iced the game.
Look, we get it. The refs didn’t “cost” K-State the game. Inability to contain dribble penetration, to clear the backboards, and to make free throws were bigger factors. But you shouldn’t have to beat your opponents by 5 to escape with a 1-point victory, even on the road.
Team stats were remarkably even, with both teams making 27 field goals, including 7 each from outside. UCF had 41 rebounds to K-State’s 35, but K-State only committed 13 turnovers, while the Knights lost the ball 15 times.
Nobody would argue that K-State played well for long stretches, yet it was a one-possession game in the last 13 seconds. In the end, it’s another disappointing missed opportunity for the Cats.
Max Jones scored 22 points on 6-17 shooting (3-7 from three-point range) and was one of five Wildcats to grab 4 rebounds, which was the highest individual total on the team. Six rebounds were credited to “team,” so you could say that “team” led the team.
CJ Jones scored 12 on 4-6 shooting, including 2-3 from outside. Maybe he should have shot more.
Brendan Hausen (4-10, 2-6) had 11, and Dug McDaniel (4-14, 0-4) continued his cold shooting stretch with 10. He did throw 9 assists, though. Which is nice.
UCF was a three-man show. Keyshawn Hall dumped in 26, Darius Johnson had 23, and Moustapha Thiam finished near a triple-double, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 blocks.
K-State’s streaky season continues with its 4th straight loss after 6 consecutive wins.
NEXT GAME
The play-out-the-string tour continues when bottom grazer Colorado comes to town for another 3:00 p.m. Sunday game on ESPN+. The Buffs have recent wins over UCF (76-63) and Baylor (76-74), and by now we should know that nothing is automatic for this K-State team.