UCF defeated Cincinnati 66-65 in overtime at the Big 12 Tournament. Jamichael Stillwell scored 17 points and had 15 rebounds for UCF. Riley Kugel added 15 points for the Knights.
Eighth-seeded UCF rallied to beat ninth-seeded Cincinnati on Thursday. The win advances UCF to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Knights Overcome Bearcats in Big 12 Clash
John Bol scored 13 points for the Knights. UCF trailed by as many as 12 in regulation. Jalen Celestine of the Bearcats missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime.
Moustapha Thiam led the Bearcats with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Day Day Thomas had all of Cincinnati’s seven points in overtime and finished with 15 points overall. Celestine scored 11 points and Keyshuan Tillery had 10.
UCF struggled from beyond the 3-point arc, going 3 of 24.
Timeout Trouble for Cincinnati
Cincinnati had taken control with about 10 minutes remaining. Thomas was fouled by Kugel about 30 feet from the basket as the shot-clock ran down. Thomas’s two free throws gave the Bearcats a 46-37 lead. Stillwell then picked up his fourth foul.
UCF faced a 58-50 deficit with about two minutes to go when Stillwell hit a jumper. Cincinnati then turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. Kugel’s driving layup tied the game at 58-all with a minute remaining.
The Bearcats had the final shot of regulation. Thiam didn’t appear to realise the clock was about to expire. Cincinnati coach Wes Miller frantically called timeout from the bench, but there was only 0.8 seconds left. The Bearcats only managed an airballed 3-point try.
Looking Ahead
The Knights will face top-ranked Arizona in the quarterfinals on Thursday. UCF lost their only game to the top-seeded Wildcats in mid-January.
- Jamichael Stillwell: 17 points, 15 rebounds
- Riley Kugel: 15 points
- Moustapha Thiam: 18 points, 16 rebounds
Cincinnati must hope a first-round win over Utah in the Big 12 tourney will get it off the NCAA Tournament bubble on Sunday.