Men's Hoops Falls At West Virginia, 77-62, In Regular-Season Finale

MORGANTOWN, W.V. – Although a trio of Knights delivered a balanced scoring effort Friday evening, UCF men’s hoops couldn’t quite overcome an inconsistent offensive rhythm, falling 77-62 in its regular‑season finale against the West Virginia Mountaineers inside WVU Coliseum.

Despite the Knights (20-10, 9-9 Big 12) controlling the glass with a 41-33 rebounding advantage, the Black and Gold couldn’t quite overcome a cold night from beyond the arc, hitting just three of 16 attempts. West Virginia (17-14, 9-9), meanwhile, took advantage of the few extra possessions it created, turning 10 forced turnovers into key points while committing only seven of its own.

Although the Knights gave up two quick baskets to start the game, their defense settled in fast, holding the Mountaineers scoreless for the next two minutes while UCF inched ahead 6-5 with 17 minutes left in the half. UCF’s offense soon ran into troubles of its own, though, going more than four minutes without a field goal as West Virginia strung together a 12-2 run to build a 22-10 lead by the 8:21 mark.

Riley Kugel finally snapped the drought with a layup, but the Knights couldn’t sustain the spark. Even after forcing another two-minute scoring lull from the Mountaineers, UCF struggled to make up ground, trailing 30-19 with 3:15 remaining. 

Kugel and Themus Fulks powered the Knights’ offense, each finishing with 16 points, while Fulks also dished out a team‑high four assists to keep UCF’s offensive pace. Meanwhile, Jordan Burks contributed 14 points of his own while leading the Knights on the glass with nine rebounds.

RK up top ⬆️ | @RileyKugel pic.twitter.com/CZFELSBkO1

— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 7, 2026

As the half wound down, both offenses stalled, with UCF’s defense holding West Virginia without another field goal until the close. The Knights, however, finally broke through a scoring lull of their own in the final second, as Burks powered in a layup to cut the deficit to single digits, 32-23, at the break.

Even though the Knights knocked down 50.0% of their shots over the final eight minutes of the half (6-of-12), they couldn’t fully overcome their uncharacteristic struggles from deep, connecting on just one of six attempts in the opening frame. West Virginia, meanwhile, found its rhythm from long range, hitting five triples to help create the early separation.

A three‑pointer from Kugel jump‑started UCF’s offense to open the second half, and eight quick points from Fulks kept the surge rolling, pulling the Knights within four, 44-40, with 12 minutes remaining. West Virginia answered back, though, as Honor Huff poured in seven points in a two‑minute burst that pushed the Mountaineers back out to a 59-44 lead with nine minutes left in the game. 

Though the teams continued to trade buckets down the stretch, the Knights took a hit when their leading rebounder, Jamichael Stillwell, fouled out with just under five minutes remaining. From there, UCF couldn’t quite erase the early deficit and ultimately fell to the Mountaineers, 77-62.

UP NEXT
The Knights will begin postseason play in Kansas City, Mo., at the Big 12 Championship inside the T-Mobile Arena. Official game time, opponent, and TV designation are to be announced. You can find the latest bracket and information here, on the official Big 12 Tournament page.