Ibrahima Diallo put up big man numbers with 17 points and 11 rebounds to power the UCF Knights past the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 77-62, in the first round of the Big 12 tournament on Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas.
In what could have been his final game in a gold-and-black jersey, Diallo delivered a game-to-remember as he literally and figuratively dominated everybody inside the paint.
The senior center shot 7-for-13 from the field and 3-for-6 from the charity stripe. He was also a force on the defensive end, recording two steals and three blocks in 23 minutes of play.
IbraHIMa ???? | @ibrahimaa24 pic.twitter.com/6Fn90ZTakX
— UCF Men’s Hoops ???? (@UCF_MBB) March 13, 2024
Aside from Diallo, the Knights got solid contributions from fellow graduating player CJ Waker, who tallied 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Darius Johnson stuffed the stats sheet with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
The game featured a see-saw battle through the first 18 minutes of play until Marchelus Avery hit a huge trey in the final 10 seconds of the first half to give UCF a 35-31 lead at the break.
The Knights then unleashed 13 unanswered points to open the second half, extending their lead to 17 points and putting the game away from the Cowboys for good.
Javon Small scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting for Oklahoma State whose season finally ended with a first-round exit.
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— UCF Men’s Hoops ???? (@UCF_MBB) March 12, 2024
As for UCF, they will take on the No.4 seed BYU Cougars on March 13. The Knights lost twice to the Cougars during the regular season but came close to beating the ranked team, 90-88, in their last meeting on February 13.
