No. 18 BYU survives 'huge,' 'physical' UCF comeback bid for first Big 12 win

PROVO — They say you never forget your first, and Aly Khalifa won't soon forget BYU's first win in the Big 12 Conference.

Khalifa totaled 17 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots, and Trevin Knell added 14 points and six rebounds as the 18th-ranked Cougars survived UCF 63-58 to win their first game in conference play Saturday at the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.

Spencer Johnson added 12 points, five rebounds and two assists for BYU (13-3, 1-2 Big 12), which snapped a two-game losing skid against the Big 12 team that stunned No. 3 Kansas 65-60 three nights prior.

"Nobody's safe," said BYU guard Richie Saunders, who had 8 points and four rebounds, including two crucial free throws in the final seconds, to clinch the win. "Just because somebody comes out and beats the No. 3 team in the country, they're beatable. Everybody is. Every game you've got to show up."

Saturday's game wasn't a celebration for the court-storming, fine-inducing home crowd — despite 18 points from Darius Johnson, 13 from Jaylin Sellers, and 11 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks from Ibrahima Diallo.

The Knights (10-5, 1-2 Big 12) outrebounded the visitors 44-38, including 17 offensive boards, but shot just 29% from the field and didn't score a point in the final two minutes after trailing by as much as 13 in the second half. UCF also made just 21-of-33 free throws to BYU's 12 (of 17 attempts) in Mark Pope's 100th win as BYU head coach.

"They're huge," Saunders told BYU Radio of UCF's size that led to a BYU-matching five blocks. "Going into the game, we made jokes about it. They're clearly so physical, and they use their size really well."

But BYU had some unique size of its own in Khalifa, the nation's leader in assist-to-turnover ratio (though that number may drop after one assist with four turnovers in Orlando), and Fousseyni Traore, who played just seven minutes in his recovery from a hamstring injury but hit a critical floater with 3:53 remaining to keep the Cougars in front.

"I love him," Saunders said of Khalifa. "He brings such a cool dynamic that I've never really played with — a five who can shoot as well as he does and pass how he does. Fouss is going to get back, and I know he was frustrated a little bit, but he's an incredible basketball player, too. Having both of them at their best is going to be amazing right when we need it."

After Khalifa made his first 3-pointer of the game, BYU drained just two of its next 10 attempts from beyond the arc. But the Cougars held UCF to 26% shooting in the opening half, forcing five turnovers early to lead by as much as six with seven minutes left in the first half.

BYU, which committed 14 turnovers in an 81-72 loss to No. 14 Baylor, had six giveaways in the first half as Darius Johnson's 13 points and a 26-19 rebounding advantage kept the Knights within two, 26-24, at halftime.

The Cougars shot 38% from the field and just 3-of-13 from deep, and got a combined 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting from Jaxson Robinson, Dallin Hall and Noah Waterman in the first half.

BYU made just three of its first eight shots from the field to open the second half. But UCF went 1-for-6 in the same opening five minutes, including 1-for-4 from the free-throw line as BYU crept to a 34-27 lead on Robinson's jumper.

The Cougars took advantage of a 1-of-7 dry spell from the Knights, stretching the lead to 52-40 on Knell's triple with 9:12 remaining.

Shemarri Allen's dunk capped a 6-0 run that gave UCF momentum and a 7-point deficit, 57-50 after a 6-0 spurt with 5:01 remaining.

BYU led by as much as 13 in the second half before UCF roared back, capping a 14-2 run to pull within one, 59-58, with as little as 1:07 to play.

But Diallo fouled out in the final minute, and BYU held on with three field goals in the closing seconds from Johnson and Saunders — despite not making a field goal for the final 3:53.

"It really does feel so good," Saunders said. "We know every game is going to be nitty-gritty, a fight, a battle. It really just feels good to come together and come out with it. In the other two games, they were painful; we were so close. But we're learning, and right now, we took a big step forward. On to the next, you know?"

BYU is back home Tuesday to host Iowa State. Tipoff from the Marriott Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN+.

Related topics