UCF advanced past the first round of the American Athletic Conference tournament Thursday night with a 72-62 victory over East Carolina.
Darius Perry led the Knights with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Darin Green Jr. and Avery Diggs each scored 12 points and Brandon Mahan had 10 points.
The Knights took off with an early lead with Perry scoring seven of their first 10 points for a 10-4 lead. Diggs later scored four back-to-back points, including a breakaway dunk to put the score at 17-8. By halftime, UCF entered the locker room up 36-27 after shooting 54% from the field and holding the Pirates to just 38% shooting.