UCF extends win streak to 8 with second-half explosion vs. Mercer

Jordan Burks led all scorers with 17 points and Riley Kugel added 16 to lead UCF to an 81-63 win over Mercer on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.

Themus Fulks chipped in with 14 points, while Jamichael Stillwell recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

With the win, the Knights (9-1) extended their winning streak to eight games, the program's longest since the 2004-2005 campaign.

Brady Shoulders led Mercer (7-4) with 14 points and Armani Mighty finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Leading scorer Baraka Okojie was held to 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting.

UCF outscored Mercer 46-36 in the second half behind its three-point shooting. Burks gave the Knights a 47-31 lead early in the second half with one of his four 3-pointers. Carmelo Pacheco added a 3-pointer of his own with 11:28 remaining to give UCF a 58-39 lead.

Overall, UCF went 5-for-7 from long distance in the second half and shot 64.3% from the floor. The Knights made their last five field goal attempts.

In the first half, both teams struggled offensively. UCF missed nine of its first 10 3-point attempts and made just three of its 17 perimeter shots in the first half. The Knights were limited to 30% from the floor in the first half.

The big difference in the first half was UCF's 15-2 run that helped the Knights take a 28-14 lead with 6:08 remaining in the half. Mercer, however, responded with an 8-0 run of its own to cut the deficit to 28-22.

UCF took an 11-point lead in the last minute of the half, but Connor Serven cut the halftime deficit to 35-27 after knocking down a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Knights will put their winning streak on the line on Saturday when they host Florida Gulf Coast in their penultimate non-conference game. Mercer will travel to Washington State on Saturday.

--Field Level Media