OVIEDO, Fla. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a blistering first-half offensive display and a frantic, foul-filled finish, the Baylor Bears escaped CFE Arena with a dramatic 87-86 victory over the UCF Knights in a Big 12 Conference men’s basketball thriller on Saturday.

The contest turned in the final second when Baylor’s Obi Agbim, fouled on a desperation three-point attempt with his team trailing by one, calmly sank two of three free throws to snatch the win from the jaws of defeat. The sequence capped a second half that saw UCF, fueled by a raucous home crowd of 8,735, nearly overcome a 14-point halftime deficit.

The first half belonged almost entirely to Baylor. The Bears shot a scorching 56 percent from the field and connected on 7 of 13 three-point attempts to build a commanding 56-42 lead at the break. Guard Cameron Carr was the catalyst, scoring 19 of his game-high 26 points before halftime, including three makes from beyond the arc. The Bears’ ball movement was crisp, assisting on 10 of their 20 first-half field goals, with Agbim and Isaac Williams orchestrating the attack.

UCF, despite an efficient offensive rating of 130.3 for the game, could not keep pace in the opening period. The Knights were hampered by Baylor’s hot shooting and their own inability to generate stops, though Riley Kugel kept them within striking distance with 12 first-half points.

The second half script flipped entirely. Baylor’s offense cooled considerably, managing only 31 points on 10-of-31 shooting. UCF, meanwhile, chipped away methodically. The Knights’ defense, anchored by the intimidating presence of 7-foot-2 center John Bol, who finished with five blocks, began to disrupt Baylor’s rhythm. Bol altered countless shots at the rim, contributing to Baylor’s 15 missed layups and dunks in the game.

Kugel took over offensively for UCF, scoring 14 of his 26 points after halftime. His pull-up jumper with 4:10 remaining gave UCF its first lead since the opening minutes at 77-75, sending the arena into a frenzy. The Knights extended their lead to 84-80 on a Jamichael Stillwell layup with just over a minute to play.

Baylor refused to fold. Agbim hit a tough jumper to cut the lead to two. After UCF’s Themus Fulks missed a layup on the ensuing possession, Baylor had a chance to tie or take the lead. The possession grew chaotic, ending with Isaac Williams being fouled with 25 seconds left. He missed both free throws, but UCF’s Devan Cambridge was fouled on the rebound. Cambridge made both free throws to push the UCF lead back to 86-82.

Carr, Baylor’s star, answered with a driving layup to make it 86-84 with 18 seconds left. UCF then turned the ball over on the inbound pass, giving Baylor life. Out of a timeout, Agbim drove and hit a contested floater in the lane to tie the game at 86 with 6.7 seconds remaining.

UCF’s final attempt to win in regulation ended in disaster. Fulks drove the length of the court but was called for an offensive foul on a collision with Agbim with one second on the clock. After a lengthy review, officials ruled Agbim was set outside the restricted area, sending the Baylor guard to the line for three shots with the game tied.

With the arena in stunned silence, Agbim missed the first free throw. He then swished the second to give Baylor an 87-86 lead. Intentionality missing the third to run out the clock, the ball was tapped out of bounds as time expired, securing the heart-stopping road victory for the Bears.

Beyond Carr’s 26 points, Baylor received crucial contributions from Agbim, who finished with 12 points and a game-high seven assists, Williams with 14 points and five assists, and Dan Skillings with 15 points off the bench. The Bears won despite being outshot from the field, out-assisted, and out-blocked, relying on a 9-of-23 performance from three-point range and a near-perfect 18-of-22 mark from the foul line.

UCF was led by Kugel’s 26 points and five assists. Fulks orchestrated the offense with 10 assists and eight points, while Stillwell added 11 points. Bol’s defensive impact was monumental with his five blocks and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes. The Knights fell despite committing only six turnovers and posting a superior offensive efficiency rating.

The victory improves Baylor to 15-14 overall and provides a significant boost to its postseason resume. The loss drops UCF to 20-8, a damaging result for its NCAA Tournament hopes as it failed to protect its home court against a sub-.500 conference opponent. Baylor will travel to face Houston on Wednesday, while UCF will look to rebound at home against Oklahoma State on Tuesday.