Darius Johnson erupts for 42 to power UCF past Villanova into Crown finale

An exhausted Darius Johnson stepped up to the free-throw line late in overtime, and a tired smile crossed the senior point guards face.

Johnson would add two more points to his career-high 42-point performance, helping UCF seal a thrilling 104-98 win over Villanova in Saturdays College Basketball Crown Tournament semifinals.

His performance thrilled the crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and ensured the Knights a place in the finals.

UCF (20-16, 7-13 Big 12) will play Nebraska in the championship game on Sunday at 5 p.m.

at T-Mobile Arena (FOX-35).

On Saturday, the Huskers defeated Boise State, 79-69, in the other semifinal.

The winner of Sundays championship will receive $300,000 as part of an exclusive NIL payday, and the runner-up will receive $100,000.

Johnsons performance is one for the ages, scoring 23 of his 42 points in the second half and overtime period.

His 3-pointer with 9 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 88 before eventually going into the extra period.

The furious finish came only after Villanova outscored UCF 21-10 over a nine-minute stretch in the second half.

Wooga Poplar scored a season-high 32 points and Eric Dixon had 29, 12 in the second half to power the Wildcats rally.

Johnson continued to build off his impressive performance from Thursday when he scored a game-high 31 points.

He contributed seven of the teams first 13 points Saturday night, helping the Knights take an early lead and build a 6-point advantage over the Wildcats.

Dallan Coleman scored eight points in the first half, while UCF maintained the lead for the first 11 minutes.

Villanova took its first lead at 8:36 in the first half, and Wooga Poplar went on a scoring streak, netting 7 consecutive points.

The Knights regained the lead with five consecutive points scored by Johnson, who ended the half with 19 points.

Both teams went nearly three minutes without scoring late in the half, but UCF took a 48-44 lead at halftime.

Poplar had 20 points in the first 20 minutes for the Wildcats.

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