HOUSTON (Interstat) — The Houston Cougars used a dominant interior performance to defeat the UCF Knights 79-55 in a Big 12 men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Hofheinz Pavilion. Houston built a 33-19 halftime lead and never relented, outscoring UCF 46-36 after the break before a crowd of 7,035.

The Cougars controlled the paint, outscoring the Knights 42-14 inside and outrebounding them. Houston’s defense forced 11 turnovers, converting them into 14 points. Kingston Flemings led Houston with 18 points, while Chris Cenac added 14.

UCF struggled offensively, shooting just 30.8% from the floor. Jamichael Stillwell led the Knights with eight points. Houston improved to 20-2 overall, while UCF fell to 17-5.