Richie Saunders helps BYU top UCF

Richie Saunders scored 22 points while Mawot Mag added 19 along with five assists to help BYU beat UCF 81-75 in Orlando on Saturday.

Trevin Knell added 15 points to help the Cougars win their fourth straight game. Keba Keita added 10 points and seven rebounds. BYU (15-6, 6-4 Big 12) improved to 4-0 all-time against the Knights after going 14 of 32 from 3-point range.

Keyshawn Hall led UCF with 20 points. Moustapha Thiam added 17 points, Darius Johnson had 16 and Jordan Ivy-Curry tallied 14. The Knights (13-8, 4-6) came up short despite forcing 17 turnovers and scoring 18 points off those takeaways.

Mag scored 13 of BYU's first 15 points after halftime to bolster the Cougars' offense. BYU led 46-38 after opening the half on an 8-0 run but could not create any real breathing room against a persistent UCF squad.

Hall put the Knights up 58-55 on a 3-pointer but the lead was short lived. Saunders took over, hitting three 3-pointers and a layup to put BYU ahead for good. Mag's fadeaway jumper put the Cougars ahead 77-71 with 1:28 left.

UCF was forced to play without Keyshawn Hall, their leading scorer, for the final 13:26 of the first half after he picked up three fouls -- including a technical foul -- in 6 1/2 minutes. The Knights found a way to survive without him.

BYU started 6-of-8 from the field and took a 16-12 lead on back-to-back baskets from Richie Saunders. The Cougars struggled to take care of the ball, however, coughing up 12 turnovers against UCF's pressure defense before halftime.

Forcing steals helped the Knights rip off a 12-3 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Ivy-Curry and Johnson and go up 24-19.

UCF led by seven at 36-29 before Knell knocked down a 3-pointer and converted a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 40-38 going into the second half.

--Field Level Media