ORLANDO, Fla. – Liam O'Reilly's three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark and Gardner-Webb fell just short after a gritty effort, losing 68-65 at UCF Wednesday night.

Down 63-52 with just over two minutes left, Gardner-Webb (0-3) went on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to just one point, 66-65, with 33.1 seconds on the clock – when a steal by Jaheam Cornwall led to a transition three by O'Reilly.

Christian Turner picked off another pass near the free throw line on UCF's end of the floor with 20 seconds left, to give Gardner-Webb a golden opportunity, but the Golden Knights got back on defense and forced a contested jumper that was off the mark with 10.2 seconds remaining.

UCF (2-0) went to the free throw line, and Chance McSpadden made both, putting the Golden Knights up 68-65 with 9.9 seconds left. 

The home squad had only four team fouls at that point in the half and were able to burn a pair of fouls to keep Gardner-Webb from advancing quickly. That set GWU up in the half court with 3.9 seconds left and O'Reilly got free for an open look from deep – but his shot missed just before the horn.

Gardner-Webb battled hard throughout the game, despite a size disadvantage at most positions.

After UCF jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Gardner-Webb went on a 10-2 run to thwart the home squad's momentum. The Golden Knights responded with an 8-0 run themselves, going up 14-10 after two free throws and a follow dunk by Chad Brown.

The Golden Knights were in the bonus with more than 10 minutes left in the half and made eight free throws by the 8:00 mark to lead 17-14.

An O'Reilly trey tied the score at 19-19 with 6:33 left in the half and D.J. Laster drove for a layup with 5:40 left to put GWU up 21-19.

Laster continued to outwork the Knights in the paint, with his put-back giving GWU a 25-23 lead with 3:18 left in the half. UCF went back to the free throw line to tie the game with 2:54 left, giving the Golden Knights more than twice the number of made free throws (13) as made field goals (6) at that juncture.

A shot clock buzzer beater from three-point land for Terrell Allen with 1:49 left put UCF up 28-25, but Brandon Miller got loose underneath for a layup and was fouled with 1:30 left. His free throw tied the score for the eighth time in the half.

A corner three-pointer from McSpadden pushed UCF back in front by three, and Gardner-Webb missed on two-straight possessions heading into the half down 31-28.

Gardner-Webb continued to keep UCF within striking distance, and eventually took a lead on an O'Reilly three. After GWU again surged in front 45-42 on an Efianayi dunk with 12:53 left the 'Dogs went cold, missing eight of the next nine shots as UCF went on a 18-3 run to go up 60-48 with 6:30 to play.

Laster finally snuffed out the run with a follow shot to trim the lead to 60-50 and Efianayi followed with a driving layup to make it 60-52 with 5:38 left. The Golden Knights continued to have success on drives to the cup and at the free throw line, however, working the lead back to double digits.

Laster drained a corner three with 2:09 left to cut the lead to 63-55 and, after a pair of missed free throws by UCF, Efianayi followed with a trey of his own to make it 63-58 with 1:40 to go.

Liam O'Reilly drove for a layup with 1:29 left to cut the lead to 64-60, but Terrell Allen knocked down a couple of free throws to help UCF steady itself.  A pair of O'Reilly free throws cut it back to four and – after Cornwall's steal – O'Reilly drained a transition three-pointer to make it 66-65 wit 33.1 seconds to go to set up the final flurry.

Laster finished with a career-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds, Efianayi had 18 points and O'Reilly finished with 13 to lead Gardner-Webb.

The Runnin' Bulldogs found difficulty shooting over UCF's length inside, connecting on just 24-of-67 shots (35.8 percent) for the game. The 'Dogs didn't have many opportunities at the line, despite good penetration, but made 10-of-12 chances (83.3 percent) when those opportunities came.

UCF got 15 points and 10 rebounds from A.J. Davis and put four men in double figures. Allen and Griffin each had 12 points and Brown finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots inside.

The Golden Knights blocked eight shots in the game, and overcame 38.8 percent shooting by making a high volume at the charity stripe. UCF shot 28-of-40 from the line (70.0 percent) for the game.

Gardner-Webb will return home for the weekend, hosting Warren Wilson at 3:00 pm Saturday in Paul Porter Arena. The game will air live on The Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com).