Men's Hoops Rallies Back For 66-65 Overtime Victory Against Cincinnati

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For just 5 minutes and 51 seconds, UCF men’s hoops held the lead inside T-Mobile Center on Wednesday afternoon—but that was all they needed, storming back to steal a 66-65 overtime victory against the Cincinnati Bearcats, in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Playing at full strength for the first time since its Feb. 17 win against TCU, UCF turned in a complete performance. Jamichael Stillwell led the Knights with a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double, while John Bol and Riley Kugel finished with double digits of their own to help lift the Knights into the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament for the first time since joining the conference.

With the win, UCF improves to 21-10 on the season, marking the program’s highest win total under head coach Johnny Dawkins since the 2018-19 campaign, when the Knights finished 24-9 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

 

A trio of three-pointers from the Bearcats gave them an early edge, jumping out to a 9-2 lead by the 16-minute media timeout. The Knights struggled to generate offense in the opening stretch, though, going scoreless for more than five minutes. A three-pointer from Chris Johnson finally snapped the drought, sparking a run that pulled the Knights within two, 11-9, with just over 12 minutes remaining. However, Cincinnati stayed in control thanks to its sharp shooting from long range, draining back-to-back triples to push the lead to 19-9 with eight minutes to play.

The Black and Gold’s defensive effort halted the slide, though, forcing three turnovers in a two-minute stretch to hold Cincinnati scoreless for nearly five minutes. The pressure paid off, and with 4:12 left in the half, a layup from Stillwell gave the Knights their first lead since the opening possession, 22-21. Though the teams traded baskets the rest of the way, a late Cincinnati free throw sent the Bearcats into the break clinging to a razor-thin 27-26 advantage.

Cincinnati’s three-point shooting kept them in control throughout the first half, with 67% of their points coming from beyond the arc. The Knights, meanwhile, found success in the paint, scoring 14 of their first-half points inside. Themus Fulks orchestrated the effort dishing out a team-high seven assists on the evening, leading the way for Bol’s 13 points and Kugel’s 15.

Both teams struggled to generate consistent offense in the opening plays of the second half, with Cincinnati unable to find the bucket for more than three minutes, while the Knights fell into a two-minute drought of their own. Although yet another three from Cincinnati would snap their struggles, and by the 13:22 mark, the Bearcats had extended their lead back out to seven, 39-32. 

After falling into a scoring drought that stretched more than four minutes, the Knights found themselves trailing by 12, 49-37, with just under 10 minutes remaining. But the situation was far from unfamiliar for the Cardiac Knights.

UCF has made a habit of late rallies this season, erasing double-digit deficits four times already: a 10-point comeback against Quinnipiac, a 14-point rally at Texas A&M, another 14-point comeback against Florida Atlantic, and a 12-point surge to defeat Arizona State. And before long, the Bearcats found themselves fighting just to hold on to the lead.

It was a dunk from Jordan Burks that finally gave the Knights the spark they needed, igniting a 14-7 run that pulled them within two, 58-56, with 1:17 remaining. The surge, fueled by six points from Stillwell, set the stage for overtime—but it was Kugel who forced it, converting a late layup to tie the game at 58-58 and send it to an extra five minutes.

Defense ➡️ Offense | @Jordanburks123 x @RileyKugel pic.twitter.com/M75fVPZmt6

— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 11, 2026

In the extra period, Stillwell struck first with a layup, and from that moment on, the Knights refused to give the lead back. The Bearcats kept pressing, but Bol slammed the door at the free-throw line, calmly knocking down all four of his attempts in the closing moments, securing the Knights' 66-65 victory. 

UP NEXT
The Knights will be back in action at 3 PM EST tomorrow, March 12, taking on the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats. The game will broadcast live on ESPN, or you can follow along on 96.9 The Game using the link here.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF 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.