PROVO, Utah (Interstat) — UCF built a massive first-half lead and withstood a furious second-half rally to defeat BYU 97-84 in a Big 12 men’s basketball game Tuesday night at a sold-out Marriott Center.

The Knights dominated early, shooting 58% from the field and hitting eight 3-pointers to lead 52-28 at halftime. The Cougars responded with 56 second-half points but never closed the gap to single digits. UCF’s efficient offense, which shot 56% overall and 58% from 3-point range, proved too much.

Themus Fulks led UCF with 24 points and 11 assists. Jordan Burks also scored 24. AJ Dybantsa paced BYU with a game-high 29 points. UCF improved to 20-7, while BYU fell to 19-8.