UCF storms back, defeats Oklahoma State

Darius Johnson scored 27 of his career-high 36 points in the second half on Senior Night, lifting UCF to an 83-70 victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.

Johnson sank 10 of 18 shots from the floor -- including 7 of 12 from 3-point range -- and all nine attempts from the free-throw line. His point total on Wednesday eclipsed his previous career high of 33, set in the Knights' 79-77 victory over TCU on March 9, 2024.

Keyshawn Hall collected 18 points and nine rebounds for UCF (16-14, 7-12 Big 12), which outscored the Cowboys by a 48-30 margin in the second half to record its third win in its last four games. The Knights also avenged a 104-95 setback to Oklahoma State on Feb. 19.

UCF held a decisive 50-26 edge in rebounds to send the Cowboys (14-16, 6-13) to their fifth loss in the last seven games.

Brandon Newman came off the bench to score all 13 of his points in the first half for Oklahoma State.

Arturo Dean contributed 12 points, seven assists and four steals and Jamyron Keller and Abou Ousmane each scored 11 points for the Cowboys,

Oklahoma State extended its lead to 10 points early in the second half before UCF went on a 32-9 run to seize a 69-56 advantage. Johnson sank a pair of 3-pointers before Tyler Hendricks converted from beyond the arc to effectively send the Knights on their way to victory.

Oklahoma State was nursing a 33-31 lead before Khalil Brantley sank a 3-pointer and Moustapha Thiam and Patrick Suemnick each made a dunk to push its advantage to seven points. The Knights added a pair of buckets to bridge the first and second half before the Cowboys scored seven straight points to take a 47-37 lead.

Marchelus Avery made a pair of layups to extend Oklahoma State's lead to 16-9 before UCF countered with a 13-2 run. Johnson and Nils Machowski each sank a 3-pointer to highlight that surge.

--Field Level Media