Themus Fulks’ only field goal of the day was the biggest shot of the Big 12 weekend, lifting No. 25 UCF to a 73-72 thriller and exposing Cincinnati’s late-game frailties.
With 13 seconds left and the shot clock off, Themus Fulks took one hard dribble right, rose from seven feet, and snapped the net. The senior point guard’s only bucket of the afternoon gave No. 25 UCF a 73-72 lead it would not relinquish, pushing the Knights to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 while dropping Cincinnati to 0-3 in league play.
The Bearcats had one last look. Jalen Celestine’s 26-foot three rattled out, sealing Cincinnati’s second straight one-possession heartbreak and extending UCF’s perfect home record to 9-0 this season.
How the final 30 seconds unraveled
- 0:30 — Cincinnati’s Baba Miller slices for a go-ahead layup, Bearcats 72-71.
- 0:13 — Fulks rejects a high ball-screen, drives middle, and buries the jumper over Miller’s contest.
- 0:00 — Celestine’s deep triple bounces twice before falling away; Knights storm the floor.
UCF finished 30-of-52 from the floor (57.7 percent) but coughed it up 14 times. The Knights still found a way, improving to 4-1 in games decided by three points or fewer this season.
Fulks’ line looks quiet, looms massive
Box-score scouts will see six points on 1-of-3 shooting. Coaches see 12 assists against one turnover, plus the game’s defining defensive possession. Johnny Dawkins has now leaned on his fifth-year guard to close three straight nail-biters—Fulks assisted the winner versus Oklahoma State and bled the clock dry against Kansas State last week.
“He’s our heartbeat,” Dawkins said post-game. “When the gym gets loud, he gets quiet—and that’s when he’s most dangerous.”
Kugel, Stillwell shoulder scoring load
Riley Kugel poured in 19 points on an efficient 7-of-11 clip, adding six assists and five rebounds. The 6-5 sophomore is now UCF’s leading scorer at 15.4 PPG and has scored in double figures every night since Thanksgiving.
Jamichael Stillwell supplied 15 points and the emotional swing—his layup erased a seven-point deficit midway through the first half, triggering the 16-2 run that gave UCF its first lead.
Inside, Jeremy Foumena controlled the glass (12 boards) and threw down the second-half hammer that pushed the lead to six. The 6-10 junior’s 71 percent shooting at the rim leads the Big 12 among rotation bigs.
Cincinnati’s late-game demons resurface
Wes Miller’s club is now 1-6 this season in games within one possession inside the final minute. The Bearcats’ 15-2 fast-break edge went wasted thanks to 11 second-half turnovers and 4-of-18 shooting from deep.
Moustapha Thiam, facing his old team, torched UCF for a career-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting—including a corner three that trimmed the halftime deficit to 33-32. The 7-2 Senegal native heard boos every touch but nearly authored a revenge script.
“We’re right there,” Miller said. “We’re one clean stop, one clean possession, from flipping this whole narrative.”
Big-picture stakes
The win projects UCF into the top 20 of Monday’s AP poll and keeps them within a game of league-leading Iowa State. More importantly, it strengthens a burgeoning NCAA résumé that already owns victories over Florida Atlantic, Oklahoma State, and now a Quadrant-2 Cincinnati squad. The Knights’ NET ranking will climb inside the top 30 for the first time in program history.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, sits 4-8 in its last 12 and stares at a brutal January gauntlet—trips to Kansas and Houston sandwich a visit from BYU. A 0-6 league start is suddenly in play, vaporizing February margin for error.
What’s next
- UCF — Wednesday at West Virginia (14-1, 3-0). ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET. A victory in Morgantown would stamp the Knights as legitimate Big 12 contenders.
- Cincinnati — Tuesday vs. Kansas (12-3, 2-1). The Bearcats haven’t beaten a ranked team since last March; desperation level is code-red.
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