The Knights make a shift in conference play

UCF men’s basketball leapt out of its three-game loss streak after defeating the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs 82-71 on Tuesday evening at Addition Financial Arena.

UCF (18-7, 7-6 Big 12) capitalized on TCU’s (16-10, 6-7 Big 12) early foul trouble and shooting struggles, as the Knights did not relinquish the lead nearly the entire matchup.

Senior forward Jamichael Stillwell snapped back into action—since a day-to-day injury caused him to sit out the West Virginia Mountaineers game on Saturday—and finished with six rebounds and one assist while shooting 3-for-5 from the field.

“Jamichael Stillwell gave us a huge lift coming back,” UCF men’s basketball head coach Johnny Dawkins said in the postgame conference. “He adds so much to us, not just the rebound and the defense, but the intangibles of the game. He’s a leader, knows how to play and who he is as a player, so it’s good having him back.”

Stillwell and junior forward Jordan Burks launched UCF to a hot start with a three-pointer, layups, and free throws that suppressed TCU at the top of the first half.

A three-point jumper from TCU junior guard Liutauras Lelevicius, followed by another from TCU junior guard Tanner Toolson, put the matchup at its closest point, 11-10. But after Burks responded with a three-point jumper of his own, the Horned Frogs could not rally for the rest of the night.

UCF dominated on both sides of the court, with double TCU’s bench points at 26, and suffocated the Horned Frogs by holding them to 18% from three and 12 turnovers. Burks led the charge for UCF with 23 points while shooting 5-for-12 from three and seven rebounds.

“He’s important every night,” fifth-year guard Themus Fulks said in the postgame conference. “He’s the main guy crashing, getting us extra possession, or guarding one of the top players. He’s a vocal point for our team and without him, we probably wouldn’t be in this position.”

After breaking out of a three-game rut, Dawkins said he saw UCF returning to the program’s standards of play, matching TCU’s tenacity throughout the matchup.

“I thought defensively, we were locked in for the majority of the game,” Dawkins said. “That’s UCF basketball: Defending at a high level, being focused on what you have to do defensively and offensively, playing for each other. If you do those two things right there, now I will call that UCF basketball.”

The Knights set off to Salt Lake City to continue conference play, facing the University of Utah Utes (9-16, 1-11 Big 12) at 9 p.m. on Saturday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.