UCF fans who stayed up late Tuesday night were rewarded with a stellar performance by the Knights' men's basketball team, as they secured a 97-84 victory over No. 19 BYU. The Knights dominated from the start and never trailed during this impressive showing in Provo.
This win marked UCF's first-ever triumph over BYU and added a fifth Quad 1 victory to their season tally, including their third against an AP Top 25 team. The Knights were on fire from beyond the arc, sinking 14 three-pointers, with an astounding 11 coming in the first half.
Jordan Burks was a standout, posting a career-high 24 points, along with six rebounds, a block, and two steals. Themus Fulks matched Burks with 24 points of his own, adding 11 assists and four rebounds to notch a double-double. Fulks also broke the program's single-season record for assists, reaching 185.
Despite missing Riley Kugel due to injury, Chris Johnson stepped up in the backcourt, contributing nine points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The victory was slightly marred by an injury to Jamichael Stillwell, who had to be carried off with a lower body injury after putting up a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. He later returned to the bench in a walking boot. Devan Cambridge also left the court gingerly towards the end of the game.
The Knights came out firing, hitting ten of their first 15 shots, including five from deep. By halftime, they were shooting an impressive 57.1 percent from the field and 68.8 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Cougars struggled, making only 11 of their 35 field goal attempts, resulting in BYU's largest halftime deficit in four years as UCF led 52-28.
In the second half, UCF extended their lead to 36 points early on. While BYU made a push, they never got closer than 13 points. BYU's freshman sensation AJ Dybantsa led all scorers with 29 points, 19 of which came in the second half.
With this victory, UCF improved to 20-7 on the season, marking the second consecutive season and the fourth time under coach Johnny Dawkins that they've reached 20 wins. The Knights will return home to face the Baylor Bears this Saturday, February 28, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.