Rally falls short as UCF sees three-game win streak snapped by Baylor

Story byRally falls short as UCF sees three-game win streak snapped by BaylorMatt Murschel, Orlando SentinelSun, March 1, 2026 at 3:39 AM UTC·4 min read

March Madness was in full effect Saturday night.

A near sellout crowd was on hand to show its support for red-hot UCF, which was riding a three-game winning streak, which included a road sweep of Utah and No. 19 BYU. Unfortunately, fans went home disappointed as UCF fell short after trailing by as many as 15 points before eventually losing to Bayor, 87-86.

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The Knights tied the game at 86 with 25 seconds, but guard Riley Kugel was called for a foul as Baylor’s Obi Agbim attempted a 3-point shot with 1.3 seconds left. Agbim missed the first free throw, made the second and missed the third, but it bounced away as time expired.

Kugel scored a team-high 26 points in his return to the lineup after missing the past two games with an undisclosed lower leg injury.

UCF (20-8, 9-7 Big 12) had its three-game winning streak snapped with the loss, as the Knights dropped to 13-4 at Addition Financial Arena this season.

Baylor (15-14, 5-11 Big 12) won just its third game in February and the third road contest this season. The Bears are hoping to avoid their worst season since the 2006-07 campaign.

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Jordan Burks connected on a 30-footer to start the scoring for UCF, which was searching for its first win over the Bears. Forward Jamichael Stilwell followed that up with a bank shot, while drawing a foul on Isaac Williams IV, which earned him a free throw.

Stillwell didn’t appear to show any lingering effects from rolling his foot late in UCF’s 97-84 win over BYU on Tuesday. He returned to the game against the Cougars wearing a medical boot on his right foot.

The Knights opened with solid defense, holding Baylor to just 33% (3-of-9) shooting from the floor through the first seven minutes.

Baylor snapped out of its early funk, going on a 20-9 run to grab a 32-26 advantage with 7 minutes left in the first half.

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During that run, the Knights lost center Jeremy Foumena, who rolled his ankle on a missed layup and was helped off the floor and back into the locker room by the training staff. He never returned.

Foumena’s absence was particularly painful after Stillwell and John Bol picked up two fouls and were forced to ride the bench for the final six minutes of the half. Reserve Elijah Hulsewe found himself on the floor picking up valuable minutes.

The Knights, however, had no answer for redshirt sophomore guard Cameron Carr, who connected on four 3-pointers and led the Bayor with 20 points.

The Bears went on a 24-12 run over the final 5:40 of the first half, cruising to a 56-42 halftime advantage.

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UCF opened the second half with a 6-0 run to cut the Baylor lead to 56-48, forcing the Bears to take a quick timeout with 17:53 left in the game.

An offensive rebound and bucket by Bol made it an 8-0 run and a Burks’ layup extended it to 10-0, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Baylor didn’t score its first points of the second half until the 15:59 mark.

The Knights were on a 16-4 run, closing the gap to 60-58 heading into the first media timeout with 13:55.

Bol picked up his third foul with 13:18 left in the game, but Dawkins rolled the dice and left his big man on the court. But Stillwell picked up his third foul less than a minute later and was replaced by Devan Cambridge.

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The Bears went on a 16- 7 run to push their lead back to double-digits at 76-65 with 7:27 left.

UCF chipped away at the BU lead, slicing it to 80-78 with 4:10 remaining before the final media timeout. But after a Baylor basket, Bol picked up his fourth foul on the next possession and let the game.

The Knights tied the game at 84 apiece with 1:03 left before Obi Agbim’s shot gave Baylor an 86-84 lead. Cambridge was fouled and nailed two free throws to tie it at 86 with 25 seconds left.

Carr led four Baylor players in double-digits with 26 points, followed by Dan Skillings with 15, Isaac Williams IV with 14 and Agbim with 12.

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Burks added 12 points for UCF while Stillwell had 11. Themus Fulks had 8 points and 7 assists.

UCF wraps up its home schedule by hosting Oklahoma State on Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Knights finish the regular season at West Virginia on March 6 (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: [email protected]. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

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