Written by Francisco Vera.
#25 UCF (12-2) ends its 11-game win streak after losing their first conference game of the season against Oklahoma State (13-2) with the final score of 87-76.
The game began with both teams figuring out their offensive game plan, and the Cowboys would quickly get hot from three with no sign of cooling off. The Knights would have to fight for their buckets in the paint from the start.
At the 10-minute mark, the Knights found themselves down by six with Oklahoma State shooting 56% from three so far. It was clear that UCF had to find a response before the Cowboys began to run with it.
Oklahoma State would get two free throws and possession after a flagrant foul would be called on Jamichael Stillwell, keeping it a six-point game. The under-eight media timeout would be called.
Returning from the media timeout, George Beale Jr. would hit a three to give the Knights some momentum. After this three-pointer, UCF would make costly mistakes on both sides of the ball, and the Cowboys would capitalize, reaching a 10-point lead with a little over three minutes left in the half.
It was clear the Knights needed a spark, and they needed it urgently. For the remainder of the half, UCF would attempt to chip away at Oklahoma State’s lead, but a three by the Cowboys’ Kanye Cleary gave them a 41-32 lead heading into halftime.
Devan Cambridge would find himself at the line on consecutive baskets to begin the second half, giving the Knights some needed momentum. Oklahoma State would start the half going two-for-two from three, but that would not affect UCF.
The Knights were able to cut the deficit to five points and had possession as the first media timeout of the half was called with under 16 minutes left to play. After the timeout, UCF would get two quick buckets, making it a one-point game.
Both teams would trade baskets, but the Cowboys, shooting 57% from three, would continue to capitalize from beyond the arc. The Knights would continue to fight, doing whatever they could to keep the game within a single-digit margin, continuing to chase the Oklahoma State lead, but it would prove too much for UCF.
The Knights lose their first conference game of the year and end their win streak at 11 games. The final score from Stillwater, Oklahoma, was 87-76 in favor of the Cowboys.
Leading both teams in scoring was Oklahoma State’s Parsa Fallah with 24 points. For the Knights, Riley Kugel led the scoresheet with 15 points.
UCF will look to bounce back from their loss as they return to Addition Financial Arena and take on the Cincinnati Bearcats on January 11th, with a tip-off time of 5:00 p.m.
