Both UCF and SMU picked up wins in American Athletic Conference men's basketball action Monday night (Nov. 30). UCF opened the season with a 63-55 home win over Auburn, while SMU ran away from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 91-54.
UCF 63, Auburn 55 -
Box Score
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Mahan scored all 12 of his points in the second half, including four of UCF’s final six free throws, and the Knights held off Auburn 63-55 down the stretch to win a season-opener Monday night.
Mahan played four minutes in the first half but all of the second, making 4 of 8 shots, all four free throws and three steals, two defensive rebounds and an assist.
Mahan made his presence felt with a steal just over two minutes into the second half, leading to a Dre Fuller Jr. 3-pointer. In the final two minutes, he scored on a drive to the basket that pushed the lead to eight, deflected an inbound pass for a takeaway, stole another pass and hit four from the line.
Fuller and Tony Johnson Jr. carried the Knights through a low-scoring first half, combining for 14 of UCF’s 30 points. Fuller ended the game with 13 and Darin Green Jr. added 10.
Jamal Johnson led Auburn (1-2) with 18 points, draining five 3-pointers, matching his career high. Jaylin Williams added eight points and eight rebounds.
The Tigers were 32% from the floor (20-of-62), 7-of-34 from deep, and committed 22 turnovers. They were 8 of 22 from the free-throw line.
SMU 91, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 54 - Box Score
Ethan Chargois and Kendric Davis each recorded double-doubles as SMU ran away from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Monday at Moody Coliseum. Chargois recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth career double-double, while Davis notched 11 points and 11 assists for his fourth career double-double.
The Mustangs (2-0) shot 52.4 percent from the field (33-63), including 58 percent in the first half (18-31), while limiting Texas A&M-CC to eight first-half field goals and 25 percent shooting (8-32).
Feron Hunt led five Mustangs in double-digit scoring with 19 points. Emmanuel Bandoumel had a career-high 17 points, while Charles Smith IV tied his career best with 11 points.