Darius Johnson made the go-ahead driving layup with 2.8 seconds left to help UCF beat Utah 76-72 on Sunday at Orlando, Fla.
Johnson finished with 12 points and Keyshawn Hall added 11 for the Knights, including the game-sealing free throws after Utah turned it over following Johnson’s score.
Moustapha Thiam had 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with nine rebounds to lead UCF (14-13, 5-11 Big 12), which ended a seven-game losing streak. Jordan Ivy-Curry netted 12 points and Dallan Coleman contributed 10 points.
The Utes (15-12, 7-9) got 23 points from Gabe Madsen and 20 from Ezra Ausar but lost their fifth straight road game. Mike Sharavjamts chipped in 15 points, six assists and four rebounds for Utah.
Madsen then drilled a 3-pointer with 11.2 seconds remaining to tie the game at 72. After a UCF timeout, Johnson received a pass at the top of the key and drove the lane past two defenders for the go-ahead basket.
The Utes followed with their 19th and final turnover of the day, setting up Hall’s clinching foul shots. The Knights had only eight giveaways and held a 20-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
UCF engineered a 16-2 run behind nine points from Thiam to take a 20-17 lead with 5:46 left in the first half. The Knights held a 30-29 lead at the break.
An 8-2 run put Utah ahead 43-38 with 14:33 left, but UCF responded with baskets by Coleman and Ivy-Curry on the next two possessions.
The Knights later went on a 19-5 run to build a 63-52 lead with 5:57 remaining. UCF made 6 of 9 shots from the field during its surge.
Utah answered with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 65-62 with 3:37 left. Madsen had two 3-pointers and Ausar had four points in the flurry.
After Sharavjamts made a driving layup with 1:39 left to cut the Knights’ lead to 68-67, Hall made two free throws with 1:15 to play.
Madsen converted a layup but Hall answered with a layup of his own to give UCF a 72-69 lead with 36 seconds left.
The Knights had a 33-4 edge in bench points behind the scoring of Ivy-Curry, Coleman and Tyler Hendricks (seven points).
