In the minutes following UCF’s 84-76 win over Milwaukee on Wednesday, Darius Johnson took a few moments to sign autographs for some young Knights fans.
It’s been an incredible stretch for the senior point guard, who scored a season-high 28 points against the Panthers, highlighted by 8 of 10 shooting from 3-point range. Johnson scored 25 points a few days earlier, connecting on four of his eight 3-point attempts.
The 53 combined points are the most by the Virginia native since joining the program in 2022.
“I put a lot of work into my shooting. That’s one of the biggest things I worked on since my early years,” Johnson said following the win on Wednesday. “The ball just felt great coming out of my hands and I feel like I’ve been shooting the ball pretty well over the past few games.”
Johnson entered Sunday’s showdown with Cal Baptist among the team leaders in shooting, connecting on 46% (35 of 77) of his attempts. That includes a team-best 50% (23 of 46) of his 3-point shots.
Over the previous two games, he’s connected on 53% (16 of 30) of his shots, including 67% (12 of 18) from 3-point range.
“He’s so comfortable in his role now and in the leadership — he’s leading our team, he’s running the show, and the guys are getting more comfortable playing with him,” coach Johnny Dawkins said after the Milwaukee win.
Johnson continued his hot streak, scoring 11 points as UCF (6-2) outlasted California Baptist 74-59 on Sunday afternoon. He tied a career-high with 7 steals while shooting 33% (4 of 12), including 2 of 7 on 3-point chances while grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists.
The Knights have three non-conference games remaining before the start of Big 12 play on Dec. 31 at Texas Tech.
UCF got off to a slow start again, connecting on 3 of his first 12 shots as the Lancers built an early lead. It was forward Keyshawn Hall who kept the Knights in the game, scoring the team’s first seven points.
After falling behind 20-13, UCF went on a 10-0 run, giving the team its first lead since the 12:30 mark. The Knights never relinquished that lead, expanding the advantage to as many as 17 points midway through the second half.
Hall finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds, while Moustapha Thiam added 11.
Dominique Daniels Jr. led CBU with a game-high 33 points.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
UP NEXT
UCF vs. Tarleton
1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 8, Addition Financial Arena
TV: ESPN+
