Point guard Themus Fulks was the hero for the UCF Knights, sinking a go-ahead floater with 13 seconds left in the game to seal a 73-72 victory over Cincinnati Sunday at Addition Financial Arena.
The Knights
(13-2, 2-1 Big 12) picked up their second Big 12 win of the season, led by Riley Kugel, who was the top scorer with 19 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists. It was Kugel’s fourth time scoring at least 19 points this season, and the Knights are 3-1 in those contests.
The crowd welcomed back former Knight Moustapha Thiam to Orlando before the game with a hail of boos. Thiam, who transferred to Cincinnati after a solid freshman year at UCF, finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds while receiving shouts of disapproval every time he touched the ball.
Defense for both teams stood out in the first half. The Knights held the Bearcats to 2-10 shooting from three-point range in the opening period, while UCF turned the ball over eight times.
Cincinnati’s three-point struggles continued in the second half, as they ended the game with just three total threes made on 15 percent.
The same inefficiency could not be found for UCF, as the Knights shot 57% from the field, and head coach Johnny Dawkins was pleased with his team’s ability to win the rebounding battle 30-27 over a lengthy Bearcats front court.
It was a close contest all game, with neither team able to obtain a lead larger than seven points.
In the final moments, Cincinnati’s Baba Miller scored a downhill drive to give the Bearcats a one-point lead with under 30 seconds to go, but it was all for naught.
On the ensuing possession, Fulks caught Kugel’s pass on the left wing and went right past a Cincinnati defender to score what would be the game-winning bucket.
The Knights now set their sights on their next Big 12 matchup against Kansas State on the road on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are currently 9-7 and have yet to secure a conference victory, standing at 0-3.
