UCF suffers exhibition loss in coach Johnny Dawkins’ return to Duke

Although it was just an exhibition game, UCF held its ground against No. 6 Duke for 24 minutes at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night. However, the Blue Devils used a 16-2 run to secure a comfortable 96-71 win over the Knights.

UCF senior guard Riley Kugel had a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward Jordan Burks added 21 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

The Knights shot 38.4% (28 of 73) from the field, including 26.7% (8-30) from beyond the 3-point arc.

Cameron Boozer, the son of former Blue Devils all-American Carlos Boozer, had a team-high 33 points with 12 rebounds in his college debut at Duke. Boozer’s brother, Cayden, had nine points. Isaiah Evans and Nikolas Khamenia added 14 points apiece.

This was a return home for UCF coach Johnny Dawkins, who was an all-American and Naismith Player of the Year with the Blue Devils. He would eventually serve as an assistant coach under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, winning a national championship in 2001.

It had been 18 years since Dawkins had returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“It’s going to be really odd,” Dawkins told the Sentinel in July. “This is the first time I’ll ever go into that building where I wasn’t on the team, either as a player or a coach. It’s going to be awkward for me with regard to that, but I’m excited for my guys.”

The Knights are gearing up for the new season with an overhauled roster, bringing in 13 newcomers, including 11 players through the transfer portal. The only returning players are reserves Poohpha Warakulnukroh and Elijah Hulsewe.

Fifth-year guard Themus Fulks had 11 points, four assists and three rebounds for UCF, which was outrebounded 54-41.

UCF returns home to host LSU in another exhibition game on Sunday at Noon.

The Knights tip off the season against Hofstra (8 p.m., ESPN+) at Addition Financial Arena on Nov. 3.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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