PROVO, Utah In one of the biggest shockers of an exciting yet packed college basketball week, the UCF Knights handed a crushing blow to the No. 19 BYU Cougars, upsetting the Big 12 contender 97-84 Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.
The UCF Knights (20-7, 9-6 Big 12) led from start to finish, capitalizing on an early scoring drive to build a huge lead. The BYU Cougars (20-8, 8-7) were a double-digit favorite going into the game tonight.
In the first half, UCF quickly built a 23-8 lead as guard Jordan Burks made several corner threes in an 18-4 run. This lead made it hard for BYU to keep up. The Knights became extremely efficient, connecting on 11 of their first 16 three-point attempts and shooting 57 percent overall, to lead 52-28 at halftime
The fast start for UCF came from a mix of speed, transition scoring, and outside shooting, slowing BYU down as UCF began to dominate.
The Knights had a balanced attack, with two players scoring 24 points each:
Themus Fulks: 24 points, with 11 assists, leading the team with his passing throughout the night.
Jordan Burks: 24 points, with efficient shooting, including four three-pointers.
Forward Jamichael Stillwell had an excellent all-around game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while other players like Chris Johnson (9 points) and John Bol (8 points) kept the BYU defense busy.
The Knights ended the night with 14 three-pointers, shooting 58 percent (14-of-24) from three-point range, one of the best shooting nights of the year.
The Knights ended with 14 made three-pointers, shooting 58 percent (14-of-24) from three, which is one of their best shooting performances of the year.
Although the Cougars fell, they had some highlights on the offensive side, led by A.J. Dybantsa’s 29 points and eight rebounds. The Cougars never managed to gain an advantage but fought to make some ground in the second half. Robert Wright III also contributed 20 points, while Aleksej Kostic added 14 points off the bench.
The Cougars ended with 41 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from three, but the hole they dug for themselves in the early going was too much to climb out of.
This ranked win for UCF helps their resume in the congested Big 12 race and gives the Knights a high-profile road win. The 13 point win becomes UCF’s largest victory over an AP Ranked program on the road. UCF will now head back to Orlando to face Baylor in their next game. BYU will head on the road to face West Virginia.
Cover Photo Credits: Tyler Tate, AP Photo
