Senior forward Jordan Burks led the Knights offensively with 21 points and five three-pointers as the UCF Knights stormed back from being down as much as 14 in the second half to beat Texas A&M, 86-74,
in College Station.
This was UCF’s (3-1) second all-time win over Texas A&M (2-2), this one coming on the road after last year’s home victory.
Burks did not miss a shot in the second half, shooting a perfect 6/6 from the field and 4/4 from three. UCF as a team shot a blistering 18/29 from the field in the second half, including 8/13 from three-point range and a perfect 12/12 from the free-throw line.
Senior Guard Riley Kugel did not produce his usual offensive output for the Knights. After averaging 20 points through the first three games, Kugel shot 5/12 from the field and scored 12 points.
Both Kugel and Burks shot 1/5 from the field in the first half, but the Knights entered the half tied 30-30 despite the offensive struggles of their two leading scorers.
However, it was a different story in the second half, with UCF and Texas A&M then scoring a combined 100 points after the break. The Aggies came out of halftime and led by as much as 14 with 12 minutes left.
When UCF needed to climb back, it was Burks and junior guard Carmelo Pacheco who led the second-half offense. From the 9:25 mark of the second half, UCF out-scored A&M 30-6, turning a 61-48 deficit into a 78-67 lead.
Pacheco scored 15 points and nailed three timely second-half threes to cut into the deficit. He finished 5/6 from the field, all from beyond the arc, with 15 points total. Pacheco’s fifth three extended the Knights’ lead to 11 with just under three minutes remaining. It was a season high for the Mount St. Mary’s transfer and the most points a Knight has scored off the bench so far this season.
UCF now turns its attention to 0-3 Oakland back at Addition Financial Arena on Monday at 7:00 p.m.
