With its second straight blowout loss to a longtime rival, UCF slides uncomfortably closer toward the NCAA Tournament bubble.
All five Cincinnati starters scored in double figures, and the Knights never led in a 92-72 loss Sunday, Feb. 8, at Fifth Third Arena. Baba Miller had a double-double with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Orlando native Jizzle James and UCF transfer Moustapha Thiam scored 15 apiece.
UCF (16-7, 6-5 Big 12) suffered its first loss of the season outside Quad 1 in the NCAA’s NET rankings against a slumping Cincinnati (12-12, 4-6) squad that blew a 14-point, second-half lead to West Virginia three days earlier.
Jordan Burks and Chris Johnson shared the team lead with 16 points apiece for the Knights. Jamichael Stillwell had 14 with nine rebounds, and Riley Kugel finished with 10, eight of which came in the first half.
The Knights will have six days off before hosting West Virginia at 6 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. They have not dropped more than two consecutive games at any point this season.
“I’m not sure if that’s the right time (for rest) or not. It just depends on how your guys go out and perform,” Knights coach Johnny Dawkins said. “We’ve just got to keep working and getting better every day.”
Here are three takeaways from a forgettable afternoon in Cincinnati, where the Knights have won just once in 10 trips all-time.
Cincinnati pulls away with big runs before, after halftime
Ranked 226th nationally in offensive efficiency according to KenPom, Cincinnati had a surprisingly strong shooting day at all levels. The Bearcats made just under 59% of their field goals, going 11-of-18 from 3-point range, and tacked on 15 free throws.
Entering Sunday, they had a 30.4% mark from 3-point range and a 66.3% total at the free throw line, and ranked second-to-last in the Big 12 in scoring (70.7 ppg).
The Bearcats grabbed control of the game shortly after Jamichael Stillwell tied it at 26 with a pick-and-pop, midrange jumper. They closed the first half with a 14-2 run over the final 5:02, capped by a pair of 3-pointers from Jalen Celestine, who missed the potential winning buzzer-beater last month in Orlando.
UCF went ice cold at an inopportune time, missing 10 of 11 shots during the stretch.
Cincinnati poured it on after the break with another 9-0 run, including a Thiam dunk that rattled home off the rim and a 3-pointer from Day Day Thomas.
During Wes Miller’s five-year run as head coach, Cincinnati holds a 61-25 record when making eight or more 3-pointers in a game.
Themus Fulks struggles early, benched in 2nd half
One of UCF’s leaders throughout the season, Themus Fulks never looked quite right Sunday. He fired a pair of errant passes in the opening three minutes, and Dawkins made a quick substitution for junior Chris Johnson.
Fulks spent nearly 9½ minutes of the second half on the sideline, as well. He returned when Johnson and George Beale Jr. sparked an 11-0 run to pull the Knights within six near the midway point of the period.
But Cincinnati countered with nine straight points, bookended by Thiam. He drilled a face-up jumper over John Bol and threw down an alley-oop off a lob from Miller. Fulks quickly checked back out of the game, ending with zero points and two assists in just 19 minutes — his fewest in three months.
“They seemed like they were just having their way offensively, and we didn’t get frustrated, we didn’t get tight. We just started defending,” Miller said. “Our defense turned to offense, and we were able to push the lead out. I thought that was a really important segment for these guys and showed a lot about their character, how hard they’re trying to do it right.”
Cincinnati outscored the Knights by 29 points with fifth-year point guard Fulks on the floor.
Fulks started the day tied for eighth in Division in assists per game (7.0). He was also the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, including a go-ahead floater with 11.5 seconds left in the prior win over Cincinnati.
“They were very active,” Dawkins said of Cincinnati’s defense. “They did a good job. They have a very good basketball team. This league is so tough, it’s challenging as we all know. When you’re in this gauntlet, anything can happen from game to game.
“They had awareness of where (Fulks) was, and had a gameplan to try and limit what he did.”
Jeremy Foumena returns after 4-game injury absence
UCF reserve center Jeremy Foumena returned after a four-game injury absence. He landed awkwardly on his left leg while attempting to corral a rebound during the second half of the team’s 87-57 loss to Iowa State on Jan. 20.
Foumena appeared in each of the Knights’ first 18 contests, logging 188 minutes and averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He checked in at the 14:53 mark of the first half when Bol picked up his second foul.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound redshirt junior contributed one point and two rebounds.
“I thought his minutes were productive. He’s just getting his legs back under him,” Dawkins said. “It’s his first action in about three weeks, and that’s tough coming into this environment.”
Despite having its full front-court complement, UCF was outrebounded 37-31. The Bearcats turned seven offensive boards into 11 points.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights basketball: 3 takeaways from loss at Cincinnati