UCF basketball has faced its fair share of hurdles on the court this season, yet the Knights have remained resilient, posting an impressive start to the season.
On Tuesday, the Knights faced another challenge against a seemingly unpretentious Quinnipiac team that had just pulled off an impressive 83-75 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The Bobcats remained on fire from beyond the arc, sinking 10 3-pointers to build a double-digit lead before UCF went on a 22-6 run in the second half to pull out a 102-91 win at Additiona Financial Arena.
It was the first time the Knights scored 100 points since scoring 104 against Villanova on April 5, 2025.
It was a thrilling win for the Knights, who improved to 6-1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when the program last qualified for the NCAA tournament.
Five different UCF players scored in double figures, led by Jeremy Foumena’s career-high 18 points, Riley Kugel’s 16, Jared Burks and John Bol had 13 apiece and Chris Johnson had 11.
“The first half, we kind of came out flat,” said Burks. “In the second half, Coach told us we need to dig in and get stops, get kills. That’s what it’s all about is getting kills, getting stopped, and we scored off our defense.”
“I thought our guys did respond and they dug in and we got some stops that we need in order to get some momentum,” said coach Johnny Dawkins.
Quinnipiac was led by Jaden Zimmerman, who scored 21 points, while Amari Monroe had 14 points and Grant Randall had 12.
Kugel kicked off the scoring for UCF with the team’s first 5 points, quickly setting the tone for the Knights that evening.
Quinnipiac initially fell behind by 5 points but rallied back, largely thanks to Randall, who contributed 8 points to help the Bobcats take their first lead, 10-9, with 15:33 remaining in the first half.
Jordan Burks then drained a 3-pointer, allowing the Knights to regain the lead at 12-10, but Amarri Monroe quickly answered back with a layup, leveling the score at 12.
UCF struggled to find its rhythm, making only 1 of their next 6 shots over three minutes until Carmelo Pancheco hit a floater, sparking a 10-3 run that pushed the Knights ahead 22-17.
However, the Bobcats countered with a 16-8 run, fueled by 4 3-pointers, which gave them their largest lead of the night at 33-30.
Every time UCF attempted to fight back, Quinnipiac seemed to have an answer ready. A couple of 3-pointers from Devin Cambridge and Kugel tied the game at 39, but a layup and a 3-pointer from Samson Reilly moved the Bobcats ahead by 5 at 44-39 with just 3:56 left in the half.
There were seven lead changes in the first half, but QU led 52-47 at the half after shooting 57% (16 of 28) through the first 20 minutes.
Quinnipiac (4-3) picked up where it left off in the first half, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers, extending the lead to double-digits at 60-50.
But UCF went on a 22-6 run to retake the lead and pull away midway through the second half. The Knights held the Bobcats to 1 of 15 shooting down the stretch.
Johnson scored all 11 of his points in the second half, while Foumena had 10 of his 18.
UCF hosts VMI at Addition Financial Arena on Saturday with tipoff set for 1 p.m. The last time the Knights opened a season at 7-1 was in coach Johnny Dawkins’ first season in 2016-17. That year, the team finished 24-12 and reached the NIT semifinals.
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