Darius Johnson pushes UCF past Oklahoma State on Senior Night

As UCF guard Darius Johnson hoisted the framed black jersey with his No. 3 over his head at midcourt, he was met with a thunderous applause from the crowd at Addition Financial Arena.

The ovation continued for several moments as Knights players and coaches cheered on their captain.

It was a moment four years in the making for Johnson, who capped off a stellar career at UCF.

Johnson, forward Benny Williams, and guard Dallan “Deebo” Coleman were among a trio of seniors honored before Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma State.

Johnson made the most of his final home game, scoring a career-high 36 points — 27 in the second half — to spark UCF to an 83-70 win over the Cowboys.

Keyshawn Hall added 18 points and 8 rebounds.

“You couldn’t have asked for a better way to end it,” said Johnson. “It was the perfect ending. We haven’t had the season we wanted to have as a team, but the guys tonight came out and fought for each other.”

“It was a magical night. The way he carried himself from yesterday’s practice, the last practice before Senior Night, to shoot around today. He had a lot of mixed emotions and a lot of things going through his head. I’m very proud of how he stepped up and led his team today. He was terrific.”

UCF (16-14, 7-12 Big 12) has won three of its last four games and finishes with a 13-5 record at Addition Financial Arena. That most home wins since the 2021-22 season.

Oklahoma State (14-16, 6-13 Big 12) has lost back-to-back games and finishes winless (0-10) on the road in the Big 12.

It was a familiar theme for UCF early in the first half, with the team struggling to find any offensive rhythm. The Knights connected on just 3 of its first 13 shot attempts while turning the ball over six times.

Oklahoma State converted those turnovers into 10 early points, helping the Cowboys grab control of the game through the first 10 minutes.

UCF turned to its defense again to spark its struggling offense, as the Knights went on a 13-2 run to take their first lead since the 17:51 mark at 22-18. Center Moustapha Thiam had back-to-back buckets during that stretch.

But the Cowboys would clamp down defensively, holding UCF without a field goal for nearly five minutes before taking a 40-35 halftime lead.

Guard Brandon Newman fueled the Cowboys with 13 points — all in the first half.

“Darius Johnson had darn near as many points as our entire team in the second half,” said Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz. “What a special night for him and his father’s on the bench. I can only imagine how cool that was for them.”

Oklahoma State started the second half on a 7-2 run before UCF went on its own 8-0 streak to pull within 2 at 47-45.

But the Knights went on a 26-10 run late in the second half to retake the lead and push their advantage to double digits.

Thiam set a new freshman record for blocks, passing former UCF center Tacko Fall with 73.

UCF outrebounded Oklahoma State, 50-29, but the Cowboys converted 19 turnovers into 25 points.

The Knights were without guards Jordan Ivy-Curry and Mikey Williams, both relegated to the bench with undisclosed injuries. Williams was using crutches and walking gingerly during the warm-ups.

UCF wraps up the regular season at West Virginia on Saturday.

Matt Murschel can be reached at moc.lenitnesodnalro@lehcsrumm

Up next

UCF at West Virginia

When: 5, Saturday, WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV

TV: ESPN+