The UCF Knights dropped a tough one on Saturday night, falling 74-67 to West Virginia in a game that saw momentum swing wildly before slipping out of the Knights’ grasp late. That’s now three straight losses for UCF, who sit at 17-7 overall and 6-6 in Big 12 play-still in the thick of things, but this one stings, especially with March creeping closer and NCAA Tournament résumés under the microscope.
The Knights were without forward Jamichael Stillwell, sidelined by an injury suffered in practice earlier in the week. His absence was felt-particularly on the glass. West Virginia outrebounded UCF 37-31, and while Jordan Burks fought hard for his eight boards, the Knights never quite established a consistent interior presence.
In Stillwell’s place, Devan Cambridge stepped into the starting lineup, and early on, both teams struggled to find rhythm. The first ten minutes were a grind, with neither side shooting better than 40% from the field.
But UCF managed to string together a few timely threes to stay afloat. John Bol made his mark defensively with three blocks and added three rebounds, while hitting three of his four shots from the field.
A late 5-0 burst gave UCF a 29-24 lead with just over two minutes left in the half, but the Knights went cold down the stretch, and the Mountaineers closed the gap to make it 29-28 at the break.
Then came the second half-and with it, Themus Fulks.
Held scoreless in the first 20 minutes, Fulks erupted after the break, pouring in all 19 of his points in the second half. He was aggressive and efficient, hitting 7-of-14 from the field and dishing out a team-high seven assists to go with four rebounds. Fulks’ energy helped spark a surge that saw UCF build a 14-point lead, and for a moment, it looked like the Knights were ready to pull away.
But West Virginia had other plans.
The Mountaineers clawed their way back into it, tying the game with under seven minutes to go. From there, it turned into a battle of execution-and West Virginia executed better down the stretch. With under a minute left, Jasper Floyd and Honor Huff buried back-to-back threes that put the Mountaineers up 69-62, silencing the home crowd and shifting the pressure squarely onto UCF.
Despite a few late pushes, the Knights couldn’t close the gap. The Mountaineers held strong, aided by a sizable fan presence inside Addition Financial Arena that made their presence felt as the final seconds ticked away.
Now, UCF has to regroup quickly. They’ll stay home for a Tuesday night clash with a red-hot TCU squad that’s won three straight, including a statement win over then-No.
5 Iowa State. That one tips off at 7 p.m.
ET on ESPN+, and it’s a big one-the kind of game that could help UCF get back on track and keep their postseason hopes intact.
The Knights will get another shot at West Virginia on March 6, this time in Morgantown. But before looking ahead, they’ve got business to handle at home.