HOUSTON – The UCF Knights were unable to keep up with the No. 8 Houston Cougars on Wednesday night, falling 79-55. Despite strong performances from Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., who combined for 22 points in the first half, the Knights were unable to overcome Houston’s dominance.
Houston’s 17th consecutive home win was powered by strong shooting from Cenac and Flemings, who finished 15 of 25 from the field. The Cougars also outrebounded the Knights 40-29 and outscored them 42-14 in the paint.
The victory marked Houston’s 11th straight 20-win season under coach Kelvin Sampson and their 11th consecutive win over UCF.
On the other side, Dr. Phillips alum Riley Kugel led the scoring for the Knights with 9 points. However, UCF struggled to find their rhythm, shooting only 31% from the field and going 6 for 21 on 3-pointers.
The loss brings the Knights’ record to 2-3 against ranked teams this season and 4-5 in Quad 1 games, leaving them in need of some key wins to strengthen their resume for the NCAA Tournament.
Looking ahead, UCF will face off against Cincinnati on Sunday, while Houston will take on No. 16 BYU on Saturday. The Knights will have the opportunity to bounce back and improve their record, while the Cougars will look to continue their impressive winning streak.
