Men's Hoops Rallies From 12-Point Deficit in Big 12 Thriller, 79-76, Over Arizona StateMen's Hoops Rallies From 12-Point Deficit in Big 12 Thriller, 79-76, Over Arizona State

Men's Hoops Rallies From 12-Point Deficit in Big 12 Thriller, 79-76, Over Arizona State

by Cam Costa

ORLANDO — “We found a way. We had to dig deep,” is what head coach Johnny Dawkins had to say about the come-from-behind victory on Tuesday evening in Addition Financial Arena. After trailing by 12 points in the last six-minute stretch of the game, the Knights came back in a miraculous fashion to top the Arizona State Sun Devils 79-76. 

The Knights advance to 16-4 on the season and 5-3 in conference play, their best mark since the 2018-19 season, and their best Big 12 conference start. The victory earned the Black and Gold their fourth 10-plus point comeback on the season, while ASU fell to 11-10 on the season and 2-6 in Big 12 play.

The Knights and Sun Devils opened the first 10 minutes in a tight 14-14 match, with five lead changes in the process. A 13-2 run by Arizona State over 3:02 gave the Sun Devils an early 27-22 lead with 5:34 remaining in the first.

A back-and-forth first frame led to both teams ending the half shooting 44% from the field, with Arizona State having the upper-hand behind the arc with five three-pointers to UCF’s one. John Bol’s effort cleaning the class with four offensive rebounds and nine total rebounds in the first half with a perfect 3-3 shooting from the floor helped the Knights trail only 39-35 at the conclusion of the first half.

The struggles to catch-up to Arizona State continued, as the Sun Devils headed into the eight-minute media timeout shooting 58.3% from the field and 5-6 from three. However, the fronds were in full-effect aiming to make an impact, as Arizona State only shot 4-9 from the free throw line in the first twelve minutes of the second half.

Foul trouble caught up to the Knights midway through the second tilt, as Riley Kugel, Jamichael Stillwell, and Devan Cambridge all had four fouls nearing crucial minutes of the game, but that did not halt the physicality of the team.

The Knights found their shooter’s touch at the perfect time down 12 with just 6:09 remaining, as a barrage of three-straight made threes, sparked a 9-2 run over a minute-stretch to trim the lead down to five, 72-67, forcing an Arizona State timeout with 4:28 left on the game clock. UCF’s 6-12 downtown shooting in the second became a major contributor to the late-game rally.

After the timeout, the Knights did not let off the pedal, scoring the next five points to knot the game at 72 with 2:39 remaining. Arizona State took the lead right back, but Carmelo Pacheco dotted a corner three to give the Knights a one-point lead with 1:11 remaining. The last minute was nothing short of intense back-and-forth Big 12 Basketball at its finest.

The Sun Devils knocked down two free throws with 49 seconds left to go up one, 76-75, but the Knights once again found their closer in Jordan Burks. Reminiscent of the Kansas game, Burks nailed a three from the left wing to give the Black and Gold a two-point lead with 34 seconds remaining. Burks follows just moments later, with a second game-changing play on the defensive-end, stealing the ball with 11 seconds remaining. A free throw by Themus Fulks and one last defensive stop completed the comeback, allowing the Knights to come out victorious 79-76.

Four Knights finished in double-figures, each making a unique impact on the game. Kugel finished with a 17-point, nine-rebound, and five-assist outing for a stellar all-around performance. Stillwell grabbed nine rebounds of his own while also chipping in 14 points. Fulks, with five assists in the second half, found his teammates during critical moments, assisting on the three made buckets during the late 9-2 run, while also contributing 12 points of his own throughout the evening. Burks nabbed three steals in the second half, to officially propel the Knights to victory.

The Black and Gold will return to Addition Financial Arena this Saturday, Jan. 31, at noon for the first Space Game of the season against No. 11 Texas Tech.