Knights clinch their first win of the season in overtime

Photo courtesy of Aryah Britt

UCF squeaked out a close win against FGCU in its home opener on Monday night, surviving 96-95 in a down-to-the-wire overtime clash in Addition Financial Arena.

The Knights notched their ninth home season-opener win under head coach Johnny Dawkins, moving to a 9-1 record.

Redshirt senior guard Dior Johnson scored a monumental, team-leading 41 points, 22 coming in the second half. The performance ranks the fourth-most in program history since UCF joined Division I.

“I really was just trying to get the win,” Johnson said postgame. “Credit to my teammates and my coaches for believing in me, putting me in positions to be successful.”

Johnson spent the 2024-25 season with UCF. After a strong 2025-26 season with Tarleton State, where he averaged 24.0 points per game, Dawkins brought him back for a reunion.

“It’s great having Dior back,” Dawkins said. “It was so much fun this summer, watching how he’s grown and developed. I don’t think 1% of the kids in the country would have come back to the place they left.”

The Knights (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) opened with a starting five including Johnson, senior guard Cayden Vasko, fifth-year guard Riley Kugel, senior forward Isaiah Malone, and junior center John Bol.

North Carolina A&T transfer and redshirt sophomore forward Lewis Walker led the Knights’ offense in the first half, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Although the Knights kept fighting through the first half, they couldn’t find a consistent offensive rhythm as they cycled 13 different players on the floor.

With UCF finding its footing, FGCU took its first lead at 34-32 with 2:41 left in the first half after two free throws by guard Turk Brown.

Guard Darren Williams drove the Eagles’ (0-1, 0-0 ASUN) offense in the first half, scoring double digits by halftime.

The Eagles led in rebounds in the first half, finishing with 18 total, including 6 offensive rebounds. The Knights, meanwhile, grabbed 14 total rebounds.

After a scoring drought for the Knights and momentum building for the Eagles in the closing minutes, the Knights trailed 38-36 heading into halftime.

The Knights found some firepower in the second half, but the Eagles fought back to keep it close.

Out of the break, Johnson came out hot, scoring 12 straight points to give the Knights a 54-49 lead early in the second half.

The lead grew to 12 points at its largest in the second half. However, a pair of threes from FGCU cut the lead to six with 11:07 left on the clock.

The Knights led by one point with just under seven minutes left in regulation.

With the Knights up 81-80, Williams was called for a travel on a made layup that would have put FGCU ahead with 43 seconds left.

Just seconds later, redshirt senior guard Arturo Dean was fouled and sent to the line, where he made one of two free throws to give the Knights a two-point lead.

With UCF looking to hang on, forward Chase Konieczny found the basket on a second-chance layup to tie the game at 82 and send it into overtime.

The Knights opened overtime with a 7-0 run before the Eagles called a timeout.

However, a dunk and a three-point jumper by forward Bryson Lucas cut the lead to two points with 2:37 left in overtime.

With the game tied at 92, Johnson’s driving layup put the Knights back in front. Two more free throws from Johnson put UCF up 96-92.

Konieczny cashed a three to cut the lead to one with five seconds left; Johnson was later fouled and sent to the free-throw line, where he missed both.

After a last-second heave by Lucas that bounced off the rim, the Knights secured their first win of the season.

“The last time we played, we lost an overtime game on the road,” Dawkins said. “To come back and have a chance to redeem ourselves tonight says a lot about our players to be back in that situation and how we responded.”

UCF finished shooting 53.4% from the field, going 31-for-58 from the floor and 9-for-18 beyond the arc. Johnson was perfect from three-point range, going 4-for-4.

UCF’s bench accounted for 42 of its 96 points. Walker led with 16 points, and Dean followed with 15.

Walker’s 16 points marked his 14th straight game with double-digit scoring.

The Knights will remain at home for their Friday night matchup against the Yale Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) at Addition Financial Arena at 7 p.m.