UCF snaps 3-game losing streak with emphatic win over TCU
· Yahoo Sports
ORLANDO, Fla. — Jordan Burks wasn’t happy with how UCF had let a 14-point, second-half lead slip away in a loss to West Virginia on Saturday.
Instead of wallowing in frustration, Burks took things into his own hands, tying a career-high with 23 points in helping the Knights to an 82-71 win over visiting TCU on Tuesday night.
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UCF (18-7, 7-6 Big 12) snaps a three-game losing streak, the longest of the season, while solidifying an NCAA tournament resume. The Knights already have wins over ranked foes Kansas and Texas Tech, but a nine-win mark in conference play would go far in making their case for an at-large bid for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
TCU (16-10, 6-7 Big 12) suffered its first loss since dropping a 87-61 contest against Colorado on Feb. 1.
“It’s the Big 12, so you’ve got to have short-term memory in this league,” said guard Themus Fulks. “We messed that one up, and we lost to West Virginia, but we recovered and we responded.”
“Our guys did a better job of following the game plan, sticking to things we wanted to do and finish the game out,” said UCF coach Johnny Dawkins. “That was big. The biggest difference from the West Virginia game and the TCU game was the ability to understand how to sustain and finish.”
Burks got the Knights off to a quick start, scoring seven points in the first four minutes as UCF built an early 9-2 lead.
Jamichael Stillwell, who was back in the lineup after missing the last game with an ankle injury, made his presence known almost immediately. The senior forward grabbed a pair of early rebounds, including an offensive putback for a score.
After being outrebounded in their previous three games, UCF hit the boards early in the game, grabbing four quick rebounds.
UCF built its biggest lead of the half at 24-14 with about 10 minutes left after scoring 8 of its next 10 points in the paint. The ability to score in the middle helped the Knights shoot over 77% from the floor over a seven-minute stretch.
Guard George Beale Jr. got into the scoring act with a timely 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 29-16 with 7:27 left.
UCF cruised to a 42-28 halftime advantage, shooting 58% (15 of 26) from the floor while holding TCU to 34% (10 of 29).
The Knights continued to pound the ball inside in the second half, increasing their lead to 19 points with 10 minutes left in the game. UCF shot over 60% from the floor during that stretch, while TCU shot 53%.
The Horned Frogs went on a 9-0 run, which sent a nervous wave over the crowd. It was an ugly reminder of Saturday’s performance when the Knights surrendered a double-digit lead over the last 10 minutes before losing to the Mountaineers, 74-67.
Fulks’ floater with 6:04 ended a scoreless stretch of more than 3 minutes that saw TCU pull to within 67-55. The fifth-year point guard scored 12 of his 14 points in the final six minutes to seal the win for the Knights.
UCF guard Riley Kugel left the floor with about a minute left with an apparent leg injury. He was eventually helped to the locker room by a pair of trainers and his status wasn’t available after the game.
The Knights entered Tuesday night’s game clearly on the bubble for an NCAA tournament bid.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had UCF as a No. 10 seed in his latest Bracketology projections with TCU listed as a No. 11 seed.
“They outplayed us and got off to a good start and we didn’t handle it well,” said TCU coach Jamie Dixon. “They made some shots early and we were in foul trouble, which was a big factor throughout the game.”
Micah Robinson led five Horned Frogs players in double digits with 20 points, while David Punch had 14 and Xavier Edmonds added 12.
The Knights were led by Burks’ 23 points and seven rebounds, while Fulks added 14 points and seven assists and Beale had 11 points.
UCF travels to Utah for a two-game swing that features a showdown with the Utes on Saturday before a pivotal game against No. 23 BYU on Tuesday.