Behind a program-record 19 three-point shots, six of them from high-scorer Jordan Burks, the UCF Knights dispatched the FGCU Eagles 102-80 on Saturday afternoon.
Themus Fulks added 21 points and five assists, and Jamichael Stillwell recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds — his fifth double-double of the season. UCF extended its best start in the Johnny Dawkins Era to 10-1.
Let’s break it down:
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Bombs Away
19 threes.
Read that again. It’s the most threes UCF has ever made in a game, breaking the previous record of 17, which was set against Tulsa in 2023.
UCF came into Saturday not exactly a high-volume three-point shooting team at 8.2 threes per game (11th in the Big 12, 163rd in the nation), but when FGCU came out of the gate blazing hot, the Knights needed to keep pace somehow.
FGCU shot a phenomenal 19/31 in the first half, including 9/11 (82%) from three-point range, and led by as much as eight.
Jordan Burks started the barrage with four in the first ten minutes. He finished the game 6/11 from deep, with a season-best 23 points.
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Boards Lead to Bombs
The onslaught continued into the second half as UCF carved out an insurmountable rebounding edge, 42-25. UCF had as many defensive rebounds as FGCU had total rebounds, and out-boarded the Eagles 28-12 after halftime. The Knights turned that advantage in to a 17-6 second-chance point advantage.
As a result, a game that was tied at 49-49 at halftime turned into a rout as UCF blitzed the Eagles 53-31 in the second half.
In addition to Stillwell’s 13 rebounds, 8 on the offensive end, John Bol chipped in with 9 rebounds.
“I’m really proud of our guys for how they approached the second half of the game,“ UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said in his postgame press conference. ”It’s really tough to beat a team that’s red hot, and I thought our guys did a good job of giving us a chance to win.“
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Killer Instinct
Closing out is something UCF has had trouble doing the past few seasons, but not Saturday.
UCF’s 21-point advantage in the second half was led by the defense, believe it or not, which forced FGCU to regress back to the mean with just 12 made field goals after halftime.
UCF never trailed after the break.
Next Up
UCF has one last non-conference matchup against FAU on Tuesday, December 23rd at 2 p.m. The game will be held at the State Farm Fieldhouse at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports.
UCF then has ten days off before the Big 12 opener on January 3rd at home against the Kansas Jayhawks.
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