Houston entered Saturday’s matchup against UCF as the No. 6 ranked team in the country, but it was clear from the start that the unranked Golden Knights were going to put up a fight against the Cougars.
Despite the challenge, UH pulled out a 63-54 conference win over UCF on the road.
UCF’s defense enjoyed early success, stifling the Cougars and making it difficult on UH’s athletic wings to find their spots. The effort catapulted the Knights to an early lead in the first half.
Head coach Kelvin Sampson quickly substituted freshman guard Tramon Mark and sophomore guard Caleb Mills into the game, the latter returning from an injury that has held him out in recent contests.