Fall averaged 7.2 points (77.3 percent FG), 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots in five games played. On July 11 against Memphis, Fall scored 12 points on 6-8 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds.

The 2017 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a 2017 Defensive All-American, and a 2019 All-Conference honoree in The American, Fall left his mark on Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. The 7-foot-6 center left as the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots (280) and field goal percentage (.740).

His career field goal percentage of 74.0 percent (497-for-672) set a new NCAA Division I record and he holds the top four single-season field goal percentage marks in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ history.

Fall’s 343 rebounds in 2016-17 were the most in single season in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Division I history and his 887 career boards rank third all-time.

A four-year starter, Fall helped lead Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 this past season, averaging 11.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. His 13-point, 18-rebound, 5-block performance propelled the Knights past VCU for the program’s first win in the tournament.

He earned his degree in interdisciplinary studies in May.

Tacko Fall ’19 and Aubrey Dawkins ’18 signed free agent deals Friday with the Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively. Their fellow teammates BJ Taylor ’18 and Chad Brown ’19 along with former Knight AJ Davis ’17 also made commitments to join teams in the Summer League.

“It’s great to see so many of our guys get an opportunity to prove themselves at the next level,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Head Coach Johnny Dawkins says. “We’re proud of all the hard work they’ve put in and can’t wait to watch them perform this summer.”

Tacko Fall ’19

The 2017 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a 2017 Defensive All-American, and a 2019 All-Conference honoree in The American, Fall left his mark on Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. The 7-foot-6 center graduated as the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots (280) and field goal percentage (.740).

His career field goal percentage of 74.0 percent (497-for-672) set a new NCAA Division I record and he holds the top four single-season field goal percentage marks in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ history.

Fall’s 343 rebounds in 2016-17 were the most in single season in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Division I history and his 887 career boards rank third all-time.

A four-year starter, Fall helped lead Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 this past season, averaging 11.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. His 13-point, 18-rebound, 5-block performance propelled the Knights past VCU for the program’s first win in the tournament.

He earned his degree in interdisciplinary studies in May.

Aubrey Dawkins ’18

Dawkins made his mark in just one season on the court for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ after transferring from Michigan. The guard was named Second Team All-Conference in The American after averaging 15.6 points per game in 2018-19.

After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Dawkins missed a second year due to a shoulder injury before finally hitting the court for the Knights. He was relied upon time and time again to knock down shots as one of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s most prolific 3-point shooters.

Dawkins’ biggest moment came on the biggest stage when he scored 32 points against No. 1 Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He went 12-for-18 from the floor, 5-for-7 from 3-point range, dished out four assists and had three steals, as the Knights nearly upset the Blue Devils.

He’s now set to start camp with former Blue Devil Zion Williamson, who was selected No. 1 overall in this year’s draft.

Dawkins graduated in 2018 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies and a minor in sociology.

BJ Taylor ’18

Taylor, who grew up in Orlando, played at nearby Boone High School, and starred for the Knights, has agreed to play in the NBA Summer League for his favorite team, the Orlando Magic.

During his tenure at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, Taylor led the team in scoring each of the four years he played on the court. He stands seventh in program history with 1,618 career points, the fourth most in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½’s Division I era.

A master at getting to the line, Taylor is tied with Bo Clark ’80 ’83MEd for the all-time Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ record with 456 career free throws made. He’s also sixth in 3-point field goals made (180) and career assists (324).

As a senior in 2018-19, he was named First Team All-Conference in the American Athletic Conference after averaging 15.9 points per game and leading the Knights back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.

He now starts his next chapter with the team he grew up idolizing. Taylor has always been an Orlando Magic fan, admiring Tracy McGrady so much that he picked to wear No. 1 for his own jersey.

Taylor graduated from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2018 with a degree in integrated business and a minor in sociology.

Chad Brown ’19

Brown will be joining Taylor on the hometown team after committing to the Orlando Magic for the NBA Summer League.

As a senior, Brown helped lead Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament game victory.

He averaged 4.5 points and was third on the team with 5.0 rebounds per game, while shooting a career-best 52.3 percent from the field as a senior.

Brown graduated in May with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

A.J. Davis ’17

A member of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ men’s basketball program from 2014-18, AJ Davis will play this summer with the Philadelphia 76ers in Las Vegas.

Following his senior season in Orlando, Davis played for three professional teams through 2018-19. He started in Kosovo with KB Prishtina, averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists in nine Superleague games; 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in eight FIBA Europe Cup games; and 21 points and 7.0 rebounds in two Champions League games.

Davis then moved on to the Australian National Basketball League, playing 12 games for the Brisbane Bullets. He then returned to the United States, joining the Delaware Blue Coats, the Philadelphia 76ers’ G League team.

As a Knight, Davis led Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ as senior in 2017-18 with 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He earned Honorable Mention All-Conference accolades in his final season and was a member of the 2016-17 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT.

Davis earned his degree in 2017 in human communication.

The MGM Resorts NBA Summer League begins July 5 in Las Vegas. The Magic play July 5 at 11 p.m. against the San Antonio Spurs on NBA TV. The Pelicans get started on day one as well, taking on the Knicks at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. The 76ers take on Milwaukee at 3:30 p.m on July 5, as well.

Boston’s first game is against the 76ers on July 6 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN, which could potentially mark the first Knight vs. Knight matchup of the summer.

The fourth-seeded Knights (22-11) will play at Illinois State Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

“We are fortunate to get the win and are excited about moving on,” Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. “I was really proud of our guys’ overall play. I thought that was one of our best offensive performances. Usually, we hang our hat on defense, but today, I thought our offense carried us. It could not have been a better time because we needed all the points we scored tonight.”

Dawkins, who in his first season at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has matched the program’s most wins in a season in over a decade, has had plenty of success in the NIT as a head coach. The former Stanford head coach was 9-1 in the tournament coming into Wednesday’s contest, winning both the 2012 and 2015 NITs.

After hosting the first NIT game in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ history, Dawkins improved his mark to 10-1 with the five-point win over the Buffaloes (19-15).

“Tad [Boyle] does a great job with his group,” Dawkins said.  “I have played him and his team enough in the Pac-12 that they always play the right way. They always shoot the ball well. They are always tough defensively. He does a terrific job.”

Colorado scored the first basket of the game, but after a baseline dunk by A.J. Davis gave Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ a 4-3 advantage less than three minutes into the game, the Buffaloes never led again.

Matt Williams led Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in the first half, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first 20 minutes.  The senior went 5-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 3-for-3 from long distance to give the Knights a 38-34 lead at the break.

“We were all very excited getting this win,” Williams said. “We’ve worked hard this week trying to prepare for this win. We were just full of excitement, joy. We enjoyed it for the moment and then Coach let us know that we’ll be back in the gym tomorrow for practice.”

Leading 51-44 midway through the second half sophomore connected on one of his five three-pointers on the night and scored 18 straight Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ points to keep the Knights in front late in the game.

Colorado did not quit.  The Buffaloes hit four threes in the final two minutes of the game to get as close as two points, at 76-74, before Davis sealed it with free throws in the final seconds.

Taylor scored 21 of his team-high 26 points in the second half to lead the Knights to victory. He went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and dealt out four assists.

“It would be great for us,” Taylor said on making a long postseason run. “There’s only going to be a handful of teams that finish this season with a win. We’ve got a chance to finish this season off with a championship. We definitely want to send the seniors out the right way.”

The Knights are one step closer to that goal after putting forth one of its best offensive performance of the season.  Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ shot 54.3 percent from the floor and 54.5 percent from beyond the arc, while only turning the ball over 10 times.

Williams and Davis finished with 17 points each, while Tacko Fall added 10. Davis and Fall led Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ with eight rebounds apiece, and Fall added three blocked shots to his single-season Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ record (84).

“It was A.J.’s birthday so that says it all,” Dawkins said. “What a day. A.J. saved one of his best games of the season for postseason. He had a great game today, not because of the points he scored. I thought that it was his best all-around game. He is always getting you the energy defensively. He makes plays. He rebounds the basketball. He did so many things.”

The victory marked just the second win for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ over a team currently in the Pac-12.  The Knights defeated Utah in 2006.

“It was so special to walk off the court seeing fans rush the floor,” Dawkins said. “It was a wonderful experience. And that’s what we want to see. We have always said we’re not going to get anything special done without all of us being committed. That’s our student body, our community, our players and staff. Tonight, I think it all came together where everyone was engaged. I thought the students were great. I thought our fans were amazing. It was electric in there again tonight.”

Coming in winners of three in a row, including back-to-back triumphs on the road, the Knights returned to Orlando hungry to finish out the regular season home schedule on a high note.  The Bearcats, at 25-3 and 14-1 in The American, having won 18 of their last 19 games and goals of winning the league’s regular-season title with just three games to go, undoubtedly had the same mindset.

After 40 minutes of nearly perfect defense in the half-court, the advantage went to the Knights.  The nation’s leader in field goal percentage defense at 36.3 percent, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ was even better on Sunday.

The Knights held a Cincinnati team that came in shooting 47 percent from the field and averaging 76.2 points per game to just 29.6 percent from the floor and 49 points.  It marked the fifth time this season the Knights have held their opponent under 50 points.

“I give our kids a lot of credit,” Dawkins said. “For 40 minutes, to battle in that type of game, under that type of pressure defensively, is to be commended. I’m proud of our guys. It gives us an opportunity to keep on competing and that’s what we want to do.”

Offensively, it was the B.J. Taylor show. The sophomore was the only Knight in double figures, scoring a season-high 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor.

“Everybody was obviously excited about the win,” Taylor said. “We worked really hard this week to get prepared for this game. We knew it was going to be a dog fight and we were just determined to get the win.”

The biggest moment from the Orlando native came when the Knights led just 48-46 in the final minute of play.  Taylor stepped up as he did all day long, stepping back for a fall away three-pointer on the wing to give the Knights a 51-46 lead with 33 seconds on the clock.

“I wanted him to stay aggressive, but I also wanted him to keep it moving,” Dawkins said of Taylor. “Tonight we called his number. He’s always stepped up and that’s what really good guards do.”

After a three by Cincinnati cut the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ lead back to just two points, the Bearcats were forced to foul.  As percentages would urge you to, Cincinnati fouled Tacko Fall, who came into Sunday shooting just 47.1 percent from the free throw line.

The 7-foot-6 big man stepped to the line with two seconds on the clock and hit both from the stripe to put the game away.

“I work on those free throws every day regardless of the situation,” Fall said. “It’s the same shot I take every day on the same court. It was just a routine shot. I just tried to make those shots and win the game.”

The Bearcats’ final heave was off the mark and the court storming ensued.  The Knights improved to 19-10 overall and 10-7 in American Athletic Conference play, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is now in sole possession of fourth place in the league standings.

The win marked just the fourth ever victory for Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ over a ranked opponent and the first since the Knights defeated No. 4 UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament on Nov. 25, 2011.  It was the second win over a ranked opponent at home and the first at CFE Arena.

Taylor led the Knights with 27 points, while Fall and A.J. Davis added seven each.  Nick Banyard led Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ with 10 rebounds, his third straight game with double-digit boards.  Fall, dominant defensively all day, added four blocks and is now just one shy of tying and two away from breaking the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ single-season record.

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Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will finish out regular season play on Thursday.  The Knights take on South Florida in the War On I-4 Rivalry Series at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.