Fulks sinks buzzer-beater, silencing Cincinnati as UCF snatches a thrilling 73-72 victory.
UCF (13-2, 2-1 Big 12) escaped Sunday evening with a 73-72 win against Cincinnati thanks to a Themus Fulks go-ahead floater with just 13 seconds remaining. Fulks, the Knights' senior guard, caught a pass on the left wing from senior guard Riley Kugel and attacked left, pulling up for a fifteen-footer and swishing it through.
Following a Cincinnati timeout, the Knights managed to get a stop, forcing a miss on a Jalen Celestine 3-pointer. Fulks scored only six points, but added a game-high 12 assists. He came into the game second in the Big 12 in dimes, averaging 6.6 per game.
UCF was able to fend off a strong outing from former Knight big man Moustapha Thiam. Thiam scored a career-high 24 points, shooting an efficient 67% from the field. He did so through frequent boos and jeers from the UCF crowd, who are still feeling the effects of his departure from the program in the offseason.
Head coach Johnny Dawkins, who greeted Thiam with a big hug after he was introduce pregame, spoke on the fans' displeasure following the game.
"The fans though, definitely should hiss as they did tonight and I'm sure we'll face that too with guys that come in and play for us," Dawkins said. "I'm sure the fans, you know they should. That's part of the energy you have in college sports. I hope we don't get to the point where we're a totally professional sport. Some of these things are great sprits for our game."
Kugel, UCF's leading scorer, led the way with 19 points adding 6 assists and five rebounds. He also made two three balls, a promising sign for Kugel who has struggled from range after a scorching hot start.
Kugel was the beneficiary of a balanced scoring effort from UCF, who had eight players score in the first half alone while four scored 10 or more. Junior guard Chris Johnson was one of them, playing big minutes down the stretch and scoring double-digits for the first time since Dec. 20th against FGCU.
Sophomore center John Bol took a hard fall towards the end of the second half, keeping him out for the remainder of the game. Bol was seen on the sideline with his arm wrapped and seemed to be in good spirits.
Junior center Jeremy Foumena stepped up in Bol's absence, logging a season-high 30 minutes while scoring 12 points. Foumena did most of his work in the paint and mid-range area, getting to his spots for shooting high-efficiency shots.
The Knights showed great poise, diffusing Cincinnati's scoring runs with timely buckets throughout the game. UCF was able to hold on to a one-point halftime lead, improving to 9-0 on the season when leading at the break.
The Knights will look to start a new win streak Wednesday on the road against Kansas State (9-7, 0-3 Big 12). Junior Wildcats guard P.J Haggerty is a lethal scorer, averaging 22.9 points per contest - good for sixth in the nation.