TicketsORLANDO, Fla. — Sophomore center Moustapha Thiam poured in a career-high 24 points in his return to Orlando after transferring from UCF, but it was not enough as Cincinnati fell at No. 25 UCF, 73-72, Sunday night inside Addition Financial Arena.
Donning red and black rather than black and gold, Thiam added five rebounds while drawing the ire of the Knights’ faithful throughout the night against his former team.
With 2:22 remaining, Thiam converted a layup to pull Cincinnati within three, 69-66. The basket sparked an 8-2 run for the Bearcats down the stretch, capped by a Baba Miller bucket that gave Cincinnati a 72-71 lead with 30 seconds remaining.
UCF’s Themus Fulks delivered the decisive blow, knocking down a pull-up jumper with 13 seconds left. Jalen Celestine got a clean look from beyond the arc as time expired, but his attempt was off the mark, allowing the Knights to escape with the victory.
Cincinnati pressured the ball throughout the night, forcing 14 turnovers and holding a 9-1 advantage in steals that translated to a 17-7 edge in points off turnovers. The Bearcats also found success in transition, leading 15-2 in fast-break points.
UCF, however, limited Cincinnati to just 16% shooting from 3-point range (3-of-19) while shooting an efficient 58% (30-of-52) from the field and 43% (6-of-14) from deep. The Knights also held a decisive 24-9 advantage in bench points.
Three Bearcats reached double figures. Junior guard Jizzle James finished with 14 points, while Miller posted an all-around performance with 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals. Junior guard Sencire Harris dished out a career-high six assists and added three steals.
UCF was led by Riley Kugel, who scored 19 points, and Fulks, who totaled 12 assists. Fulks ranks 11th nationally in assists per game.
Cincinnati jumped out to an early 8-2 lead on a Thiam alley-oop dunk less than three minutes into the contest and extended the advantage to 12-5 on a Celestine jumper with 15:18 remaining in the first half. UCF responded with a 9-0 run to take a 14-12 lead following a Jamichael Stillwell turnaround jumper at the 12:27 mark.
A Shon Abaev floater tied the game at 14 with 11:35 remaining, but another Cincinnati cold spell allowed UCF to build a 21-14 lead at the 8:23 mark. The Bearcats answered with a 9-2 run fueled by a pair of Thiam buckets to knot the score at 23 with 4:35 left before the Knights took a 33-32 advantage into halftime.
Thiam led Cincinnati with 11 points and four rebounds in the opening half, while Stillwell paced UCF with eight points.
Kugel controlled the early moments of the second half, scoring the first seven points out of the break for the Knights as UCF used a 9-2 run to push its lead to 42-36.
Cincinnati responded with an 11-4 run highlighted by consecutive Miller buckets. Miller secured a rebound and went coast-to-coast with a behind-the-back dribble and finish at the rim, then moments later ran the floor for a fast-break, posterizing and-one dunk to cut the deficit to 47-44 with 13:56 remaining.
Both teams traded baskets down the stretch before the final three minutes proved decisive.
Cincinnati won the second-half battle on the glass, holding a 6-0 edge in offensive rebounds that resulted in a 9-0 advantage in second-chance points. The Bearcats were also 9-0 in fast-break points after halftime but continued to struggle from long range, finishing 1-of-9 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Cincinnati returns home to face Colorado at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Arena.