Story byDaytona Beach News-JournalChris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-JournalMon, January 12, 2026 at 2:22 AM UTC·4 min readORLANDO — UCF transfer Moustapha Thiam shrugged off a night's worth of boisterous boos in his anticipated return to Addition Financial Arena to score a career-high 24 points. But his former team got the last bucket, and the last laugh. Themus Fulks knocked down a short jumper with 11.5 seconds left, and Cincinnati’s Jalen Celestine drew iron on a 3-pointer at the buzzer as the host Knights prevailed 73-72 against the Bearcats on Sunday, Jan. 11. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRiley Kugel paced the Knights (13-2, 2-1) with 19 points, Jamichael Stillwell had 15 and Fulks finished with 12 assists — the fourth time this year in which the fifth-year point guard dished out double digits. UCF improved to 7-18 in its longstanding rivalry with Cincinnati (8-8, 0-3), its first regular-season win since 2022.
