Johnson scores career-high 33 points, UCF holds off TCU 79-77

Updated: Mar 10, 2024, 12:14 pm

FORT WORTH, Texas -- — Darius Johnson scored a career-high 33 points and UCF held off TCU for a 79-77 victory on Saturday night.

Johnson scored four points and Jaylin Sellers converted a three-point play to give UCF a 66-65 lead with 4:15 to play. Johnson then shot 6 of 6 from the line to stretch the Knights’ lead to 78-74 with 15 seconds left. Emanuel Miller's pull-up jumper for TCU was off at the buzzer.

UCF (16-14, 7-11), which entered having lost two straight at home against ranked opponents, collected it third Big 12 road win.

Johnson made five 3-pointers, was 9-of-13 shooting overall and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts to go with a career-best nine rebounds. Sellers added 14 points and Ibrahima Diallo had 12 for the Knights, who shot 54% (13 of 24) and 15 of 17 from the line in the second half.

Jameer Nelson Jr. scored 15 points and JaKobe Coles added 14 to lead TCU (20-11, 9-9). Miller finished with 13 points and Chuck O’Bannon chipped in with 11.

It was tied 36-all at the break. Johnson scored 13 first-half points for UCF and O’Bannon had nine for TCU. The Horned Frogs led 64-59 with 5:41 to play.

UCF will play a first-round game on Tuesday in the Big 12 Conference Championship at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

TCU plays in the second round on Wednesday.

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