Baylor Slips Past Men’s Hoops, 87-86

ORLANDO – Despite a blistering second-half performance, UCF men’s hoops' slow start proved too much to overcome Saturday night inside Addition Financial Arena, as they fell to the Baylor Bears in a heartbreaking 87-86 loss. 

UCF (20-8, 9-7 Big 12) shot a scorching 60.7% from the field after the break, compared to Baylor’s (15-14, 5-11) 37.9%, nearly erasing a double-digit halftime deficit in front of a booming home crowd. Riley Kugel led the charge in his return from a two-game absence, pouring in a career-high 26 points and helping fuel the late push. 

Even with the loss, the Black and Gold remain firmly in tournament talks, just hitting their second consecutive 20-plus win season under Head Coach Johnny Dawkins before their return to The City Beautiful. Additionally, they are riding their best Big 12 season since joining the conference, boasting a 9-7 league mark. No Big 12 team with a winning record has missed the tournament since the 2008-09 season.

Despite opening the game scoreless for nearly three minutes, Baylor stayed afloat at the free-throw line, knocking down four straight to keep pace with the Knights. A second-chance bucket briefly gave the Bears a 9-8 edge with 16 minutes left in the half.

The Knights answered quickly, however, with a quick three-pointer from Chris Johnson to spark a push that put the Black and Gold ahead, 17-12, at the 12:26 mark. The teams continued to trade blows back and forth, neither team finding separation, but late in the half, momentum swung hard in Baylor’s favor.

Back-to-back layups ignited a 7-0 run, while the Knights fell into a three-minute scoring drought. The Bears capitalized on the cold spell, turning continuous stops into transition points and building a 39-30 cushion with five minutes to play.

Kugel drilled a late three to halt the slide, but the Knights couldn’t fully recover from their mid-half offensive struggles, as the Bears pressed the advantage down the stretch, heading into the locker room firmly in control, 56-42.

The Knights came out of the locker room with a jolt of energy, opening the second half on a 6-0 run to trim the deficit to 56-48 just two minutes in. They kept their foot on the gas, outscoring Baylor 14-4 over the opening stretch and pulling within two, 60-58, by the 13:55 mark.

But the Bears had a response. A 6-0 run of their own pushed the lead back to eight, 66-58, with 12:22 to play. Using the offensive energy, Baylor dug in on the defensive end of the hardwood to  extended the margin back out to double-digits, 78-67, appearing to regain firm control with just seven minutes to go.

Even so, the Knights refused to fold. Staying resilient, they powered through defensively, holding the Bears scoreless for nearly three minutes while turning stops into points during an 8-0 burst that sliced the deficit to 80-78 with 3:46 remaining.

STILLLLL 😤 | @JamichaelStill1 pic.twitter.com/uP95EjTaXU

— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 1, 2026

Jordan Burks had another stellar all-around performance, adding 12 points and five rebounds to the evening's efforts. Meanwhile, Themus Fulks piloted the team’s offense with 10 assists, his seventh 10-plus assist effort of the season, while John Bol led the glass efforts with a team-high seven rebounds.

From there, it was a back-and-forth sprint to the finish. The Black and Gold finally drew even at 86-86 with 25 seconds left, setting the stage for potential overtime. However, a late foul sent the Bears to the line, where they converted the go-ahead free throw and held on in the closing seconds to escape with an 87-86 victory.

UP NEXT
The Knights return to action at home on Tuesday, March 3, against the Oklahoma State Cowboys for a Space Game senior night in their home finale. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with tipoff set for 7 PM, or you can follow along on 96.9 The Game using the link here.