Men's Hoops Upsets No. 19/23 BYU on the Road, 97-84Men's Hoops Upsets No. 19/23 BYU on the Road, 97-84

Men's Hoops Upsets No. 19/23 BYU on the Road, 97-84

by Jenna VanHoose
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Box Score

PROVO, Utah — UCF took another giant step toward solidifying its NCAA Tournament resume Tuesday night.

Playing without top scorer Riley Kugel for the second straight game, the Knights never trailed in a 97-84 victory over No. 19/23 BYU at the Marriott Center, pushing their winning streak to three games and securing their third ranked win of the season. The victory also marked the fifth ranked road win of the Johnny Dawkins era.

With the win, UCF (20-7, 9-6 Big 12) secured back-to-back 20-win seasons under Dawkins, while snapping BYU's (20-8, 8-7) 16-game win streak at home against unranked opponents. The 13-point victory also marked UCF's largest road win against an AP ranked opponent in program history.

"I thought the guys were really dialed in and I'm proud of the effort that they gave for the full 40 minutes. This is a very, very difficult place to play in, to win in. I thought our guys held their composure and played really well throughout most of the game... we just wanted to continue to play for each other and defend, that's our calling card."

Head Coach Johnny Dawkins

The Knights set the tone early. After a steal by Chris Johnson, Themus Fulks converted a layup to open the scoring. Jamichael Stillwell followed with a three-pointer, and Johnson added another from beyond the arc as UCF jumped out to a 9-0 lead and forced a BYU timeout just over three minutes into the game.

Jordan Burks extended the run with a three-pointer and later knocked down back-to-back triples to push the Knights’ advantage to double digits. BYU opened zero-for-three from long range before responding with a brief 6-0 run, but the Knights continued to answer.

Carmelo Pacheco’s 3-pointer made it 30-18, and Fulks buried a pair of three's late in the half to stretch the margin to 45-25. UCF finished the first half 11 of 18 from beyond the arc at 68.8%, its best first-half three-point percentage of the season and the most triples it has made in a first half this year.

The Knights led 52-28 at the break, delivering their highest-scoring half of the season and handing BYU its largest halftime deficit in four years. The 52 points were one shy of the highest-scoring half in the Dawkins era dating back to 53 against Mississippi State on Nov. 17, 2016.

Fulks led UCF with 14 first-half points. Burks added 11, going three of four from deep, while Stillwell contributed five points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting three-for-three from the field.

UCF opened the second half with a 12-0 run, highlighted by a dunk from John Bol. Back-to-back three-pointers from George Beale pushed the lead to 70-35 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Burks later connected on a triple assisted by Fulks, giving Fulks his 184th assist of the season and breaking the program’s single-season record of 183 set by Sinua Phillips in 1991-92.

BYU responded with a 7-0 run in the final three minutes to trim the deficit to 15 at 87-72, but Fulks answered with a layup and Beale added two free throws to halt the momentum before the Knights sealed the game, 97-84.

Burks finished with a career-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Fulks matched him with 24 points and added 11 assists for his fourth double-double of the season.

UP NEXTUCF returns home to host Baylor on Saturday before welcoming Oklahoma State on March 3.

SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOWUCF basketball single-game and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action at Addition Financial Arena as Big 12 play heats up in Orlando. Tickets can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000 or online here.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICSUCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.