ORLANDO, Fla. | The Grambling State University men's basketball team battled foul trouble and went over five minutes without a bucket in the second half as Central Florida proved to be too much in a 70-45 loss to the Knights at CFE Arena.
 
The Tigers trailed 24-23 late in the first half, but the Knights closed out the period on a 6-0 run and took a 30-23 lead into the break. Central Florida took advantage of the foul trouble midway of the second half and put together a 19-8 run as Grambling State could not recover down the stretch.
 
Grambling State also suffered foul troubles throughout the game as Travon Bunch fouled out. Zavier Peart, Axel Mpoyo and Devante Jackson each finished with four fouls.
 
Dallas Polk-Hilliard paced Grambling State with 13 points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist. Lasani Johnson and Axel Mpoyo each recorded a team-high six rebounds.
 
B.J.  Taylor led Central Florida with a game-high 21 points, including going 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also added five rebounds and one steal. Aubrey Dawkins registered 11 points, eight boards, two steals and one assist, while Tacko Fall tallied eight rebounds and a game-high five blocks, along with seven points.
 
Turning Point
Central Florida (7-2) began the game on a 7-0 run nearly six minutes into the game as a 3-pointer by Nigel Ribeiro put the Tigers on the board with a 3-pointer with 14:06 remaining in the first half.
 
Grambling State (4-5) battled foul trouble through the first half as Zavier Peart (three) and Travon Bunch (two) were forced to sit on the bench seven minutes into the contest.
 
The Tigers, who answered the early 7-0 run by UCF, took their first lead of the day when Dallas Polk-Hilliard sank a pair at the free-throw line to give Grambling State an 8-7 advantage with 12 minutes left in the half.
 
Central Florida built a 22-14 advantage after two free throws by B.J. Taylor, but Grambling State continued to hang around and cut the deficit to 24-23 after a Ribeiro spinning layup with 2:14 remaining in the first.
 
However, the Knights closed out the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 30-23 lead into the break.
 
Central Florida continued its run in the second half and built a double-digit advantage and used a 19-8 run, capped by a three-point play by Taylor as the Knights ran the lead to 49-31 with 10:28 left.
 
Grambling State could not recover as the Tigers never got any closer than 14 points during the final 10 minutes.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State shot 29.3 percent (17-of-58) from the floor and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from the charity stripe
> Central Florida was 20-of-49 (40.8 percent) from the field and 22-of-31 (71.0 percent) from the foul line
> The Tigers registered 33, with 12 coming on the offensive end
> The Knights pulled down 47 rebounds, including 34 on the defensive glass
> Grambling State finished with 24 points in the paint, 20 bench points, 14 second-chance points, 11 points off 14 Knight turnovers and four fastbreak points
> Central Florida recorded 24 bench points, 20 points in the paint, 13 second-chance points, 11 fastbreak points and 10 points off 12 Tiger turnovers
 
News & Notes
> Saturday marked just the second time Grambling State and Central Florida have met
> The series is tied at 1 after Central Florida's victory on Saturday
> Tigers head coach Donte' Jackson sits just three wins shy of 150 for his collegiate coaching career
> Central Florida is receiving votes in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll
> Saturday's game marks the only Grambling State contest against a member of the American Athletic Conference
> Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins picked up win No. 50 at Central Florida in Saturday's victory over Grambling State
> The Tigers, who average 78.4 points per game, were held to their lowest output of the season
> The Tigers were plagued by foul trouble in the first half: Devante Jackson (3), Zavier Peart (3), Travon Bunch (2), Axel Mpoyo (2) and Lasani Johnson (2)
> Travon Bunch fouled out while Zavier Peart, Devante Jackson and Axel Mpoyo finished the day with four fouls
 
Up Next
Grambling State continues its three-game road swing on Tuesday night with a short trip to Monroe, La. as the Tigers take on Louisiana-Monroe. Tip-off from Fant-Ewing Coliseum is set for 7 p.m.
 
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