#25 Knights secures its second win during conference play

_{Photo Courtesy: UCF Athletics}

After five years, UCF men’s basketball finally defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 73-72 in a hard-fought matchup.

The game became physical quickly as bodies, including sophomore center John Bol and fifth-year guard Themus Fulks, hit the floor hard as both teams fought for a much-needed conference win.

Head coach Johnny Dawkins felt the energy from the Knights fans, saying he thought the environment was “huge” in helping his team win.

“It helps a lot,” junior guard Chris Johnson said. “It was a great crowd today, and it helps when you’ve got that battery in your back, knowing that everybody’s rooting for you.”

The rivalry was also intense inside Addition Financial Arena as Knights’ fans booed Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam every time he had possession of the ball, remembering his alleged controversial exit from UCF in April 2025.

But despite the hostile environment, Thiam managed to lead the Bearcats in scoring with 24 points.

“For [Thiam] to come into this environment and have probably his best performance of the year speaks volumes of how talented the young man is. We’ve seen that every day in practice, so we saw his potential and what he’s capable of doing,” Dawkins said.

UCF struggled early in the first half offensively, but junior guard Chris Johnson hit a big three-point shot, followed by a turnaround jumper from senior forward Jamichael Stillwell, that put UCF in the lead 14-12.

Despite turning the ball over 14 times, resulting in 10 Cincinnati points, UCF managed to stay on track offensively, shooting 51% from the field and 37% from three, to enter halftime with a 33-32 lead.

A jumper from senior guard Riley Kugel kicked off the second half, and he finished the game as UCF’s scoring leader with 19 points, to go along with six assists and four rebounds.

“[Kugel’s] been terrific for us through most of the season, making the plays to score, and he’s a willing passer. He tries to do whatever he can to help affect winning,” Dawkins said. “I thought he made plays for both the first half and the second half that set the tone for us and what we wanted to do on the offensive end.”

The game was back and forth until a dunk from Cincinnati forward Baba Miller finally put the Bearcats back in the lead late in the second half. But, it was short-lived, as Fulks’ jumper with 11 seconds left put UCF back on top 73-72.

“I got a clean look, and I didn’t really get too many clean looks because they were doing a good job of keeping two on the ball, and I just trust my work. I know my teammates believed in that shot as well, and it felt good,” Fulks said.

Cincinnati had one final possession and only needed one basket to hand UCF its second straight conference loss. After a series of passes, Cincinnati graduate student guard Jalen Celestine heaved a three-point shot at the buzzer that popped in and out, sealing the victory for the Knights.

“I thought we were close tonight. Baba made a terrific play to get us to lead up one there and [with] Jalen Celestine, I thought it was in,” Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller said. “I thought both teams made plays to win the game. I’m disappointed, frustrated, and hurt that we didn’t get the result, but I’m proud of my team.”

In the end, Cincinnati showed a strong defensive presence with 17 turnovers and 15 fast break points compared to UCF, but it wasn’t enough against the Knights as they scored 44 points in the paint and 24 points off the bench.

The Knights go back on the road to face off against the Kansas St. Wildcats at the Bramlage Coliseum at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14.