Cincinnati cruises past UCF in Big 12 rematch, 92-72

UCF walked into Fifth Third Arena on Sunday afternoon looking to complete a season sweep of Cincinnati, but instead walked out with a another lopsided road loss.

The Bearcats scorched the nets to the tune of 58.9 percent shooting, including an eye-popping 11-of-18 from beyond the arc, and pulled away late for a 92-72 win, handing the Knights their second consecutive road defeat and snapping UCF’s recent two-game win streak in the series.

It was a forgettable afternoon for point guard Themus Fulks, who entered the game second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally in assists per game. The Milwaukee transfer didn’t register a point, missed both of his shots, and turned the ball over twice in just 19 minutes. Fulks appeared to be limping after the game, though head coach Johnny Dawkins said postgame that he should be fine moving forward.

“He just had one of those nights,” Dawkins told Marc Daniels in the postgame radio interview. “Basketball is a tough sport. It’s a long season, and sometimes you’ve got to learn from it and move on.”

Cincinnati flips the script

UCF won the first matchup back on Jan. 11 in Orlando, 73-72, in a game where they shot a season-best 57.7 percent from the field. Thursday’s rematch was a complete reversal.

Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead and never trailed. After UCF tied the game at 26-all with under four minutes left in the first half, the Bearcats closed the frame on a 14-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Jalen Celestine, to take a 40-28 lead into the locker room.

“That was a big turning point,” Dawkins said. “We had it tied and then stopped making shots, and they started making everything again. We’ve got to understand that shooting can come and go, but our defense has to be the constant. And it wasn’t tonight.”

UCF momentarily made it interesting midway through the second half. After falling behind 49-28 with 18 minutes remaining, the Knights stormed back with an 18-4 run, fueled by bench players George Beale Jr., Carmelo Pacheco and Devan Cambridge, to trim the deficit to 55-49 with 9:32 left.

“I thought those guys off the bench really gave us a lift,” Dawkins said. “They changed the game with their energy. Beale, Pacheco, Cambridge — they came in and gave us a chance.”

But just as quickly as UCF surged, Cincinnati slammed the door. The Bearcats responded with a 16-2 burst of their own to push the lead back to 20, and UCF never threatened again.

Box score breakdown

The Knights (17-6, 6-5 Big 12) struggled mightily on both ends. Offensively, they shot just 40.9 percent from the field and 6-of-23 (26.1%) from deep. Fulks went scoreless, and UCF turned the ball over 11 times, leading to 18 Cincinnati points.

Chris Johnson and Jordan Burks tied for a team-high 16 points, while Jamichael Stillwell added 14 points and nine rebounds. Stillwell was the only starter with a positive rebounding margin.

Cincinnati (12-12, 4-7 Big 12) had five players score in double figures, led by Baba Miller’s 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Jalen Celestine added 14 points on perfect 5-of-6 shooting, and Moustapha Thiam added 15 points and 7 rebounds inside.

The Bearcats shot 66.7% in the second half, including 6-of-8 from three-point range, and finished with a 37-31 rebounding edge. They also tallied 18 assists on 33 made baskets and outscored UCF 15-8 on the fast break.

“(Cincinnati) had some guys that typically don’t shoot threes well make a couple,” Dawkins said. “That throws you off your game plan. And we didn’t do a good enough job closing out on their main shooters either.”

Fulks’ rough day

Sunday was the worst performance of the season for Fulks, who had entered the game averaging 13.9 points and 7.0 assists per game.

“Themus should be fine,” Dawkins reiterated. “It just wasn’t his day.”

Chris Johnson played extended minutes in Fulks’ place and scored 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-6 from deep, with a team-high six assists.

Looking ahead

UCF now has a rare midseason break with no midweek game before hosting West Virginia on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Addition Financial Arena.

“We’ve got to prepare the right way,” Dawkins said. “Take the lessons from today and apply them going forward. That’s the only way to bounce back.”

The Knights have seven regular season games remaining, including Tuesday, Feb. 17 at home vs. TCU, a road trip to Utah (Feb. 21) and BYU (Feb. 24), a final homestand vs. Baylor (Feb. 28) and Oklahoma State (March 3) and then a finale on the road at West Virginia (March 6) just prior to the Big 12 Tournament.