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  • Themus Fulks helps UCF slide past Florida Atlantic

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    (Photo credit: Sophia Scheller-Imagn Images)

    Themus Fulks totaled 24 points and 12 assists and made crucial late jumper, and UCF overcame a first-half deficit to reach double figures with their 10th straight win, rallying past Florida Atlantic 85-80 on Tuesday afternoon in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

    The point guard made 9 of 14 shots, all five of his free throws and added three rebounds as the Knights (11-1) turned flipped a five-point halftime deficit into an early lead in the second half following an 11-point run.

    Riley Kugel had 18 points, six rebounds and four steals. Jamichael Stillwell and Jordan Burks had 15 and 14 points, respectively, plus six rebounds apiece. John Bol grabbed 11 boards.

    UCF shot 49% (32 of 65) and held a 23-6 edge in fastbreak points.

    Playing without its best player and leading scorer Devin Vanterpool, the Owls (8-5) got 20 points and four rebounds from Xander Pintelon, who sank 4 of 8 long shots.

    Kanaan Carlyle posted 15 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Isaiah Elohim and Devin Williams had 11 points each.

    In the neutral-site matchup, Florida International had better jump from the start against the Big 12 school and led 17-10 early in the first half behind six points by Pintelon.

    UCF coach Johnny Dawkins called a timeout after Maxim Logue’s dunk at 11:50 to regroup his bunch after the Owls’ 9-0 run and a stretch of seven straight field-goal misses by his team.

    Amar Amkou made the half-high lead 14, 30-16, with 6:17 to play, but the Knights whittled away at the deficit and trimmed it to 35-33 on a dunk by Burks. However, the first half ended with Elohim canning a 25-footer for a 38-33 lead.

    In the second half, Fulks’ driving layup at 17:05 capped an 11-0 run as UCF led 44-38 and took control of the matchup for the first time.

    The Knights’ advantage was as much as seven points with over seven minutes left, but the Owls trailed just 74-72 on Niccolo Moretti’s layup at 2:56.

    With a one-point lead, Fulks sank a hook shot with 1:17 left, and Pintelon – an 89% foul shooter – missed the front end of a 1-and-1.

    Fulks then fed Kugel for a breakaway dunk, and the Knights hung on for the hard-fought win.

    –Field Level Media

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  • NBA roundup: Lakers win 5th straight, clinch West Group B

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    (Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

    Luka Doncic scored 24 of his 43 points in the first quarter and finished with 13 assists and nine rebounds as the host Los Angeles Lakers notched a 135-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday to clinch West Group B of the NBA Cup.

    Austin Reaves scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and collected nine rebounds for the Lakers, who won their fifth consecutive game. LeBron James added 25 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Rui Hachimura had 13 points.

    The Lakers improved to 3-0 in NBA Cup play while the Clippers fell to 2-1. The Clippers are still in the running for a wild-card spot.

    James Harden recorded 29 points and nine assists and Kawhi Leonard and Kris Dunn scored 19 points apiece for the Clippers, who have lost 11 of their past 13 games. John Collins posted 18 points, and Ivica Zubac added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

    Wizards 132, Hawks 113

    CJ McCollum scored a season-high 46 points on 10 3-pointers, leading Washington to a rare victory over visiting Atlanta in NBA Cup group play.

    Alex Sarr had 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Corey Kispert totaled 19 points for the Wizards, who led by as many as 33 points and snapped a 14-game losing streak. Khris Middleton had 10 points and 12 assists and Bub Carrington scored 10 for Washington, which never trailed in the win.

    Kristaps Porzingis led Atlanta with 22 points, followed by Onyeka Okongwu’s 20 and Zaccharie Risacher’s 17. Dyson Daniels finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Hawks, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Vit Krejci tallied 10 points in the loss.

    Magic 144, 76ers 103

    Anthony Black scored a career-high 31 points to highlight Orlando’s annihilation of host Philadelphia in an NBA Cup game.

    Black scored 27 points in the first half, including a 20-point second quarter as Orlando set a franchise record for points in any quarter with 51 in the stanza. The team also set a franchise mark with 86 points in the first half. Despite continuing to play without Paolo Banchero (groin), the Magic had nine players score in double figures, including Franz Wagner (21) and Desmond Bane (15). The team compiled 82 bench points — the top total in the NBA this season.

    Tyrese Maxey scored 20 points to pace Philadelphia, while Jared McCain pitched in with 15 points. The Sixers played without Joel Embiid, Paul George and VJ Edgecombe, among others.

    –Field Level Media

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  • SMU brings loaded backcourt to Tarleton State opener

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    (Photo credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

    Andy Enfield will lean on a veteran backcourt that should rank among the nation’s best as he begins his second season at SMU.

    Enfield will lead the Mustangs into a season-opening encounter against defensive-minded Tarleton State on Monday in Dallas.

    The Mustangs (24-11, 13-7 ACC) bring back guards Boopie Miller and B.J. Edwards. The former is a preseason second team all-ACC pick who averaged 13.2 points, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game, while the latter garnered ACC All-Defensive Team honors while also averaging 9.9 points and 3.7 assists.

    ‘Boogie and B.J. have been playing extremely well,’ Enfield told the team’s website. ‘We’ll rely on those guys for leadership and consistency because, as you know, when half your team is freshmen, freshmen are a little inconsistent at times. Our senior guards have to carry us.’

    SMU added five true freshmen to its roster along with two redshirt freshmen. Three transfers, led by 6-foot-5 senior guard Jaron Pierre Jr. from Jacksonville State and 6-9 forward Sam Walters from Michigan, also joined the squad.

    Pierre makes SMU’s backcourt even more dynamic after averaging 21.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season. The nation’s No. 4 scorer last year produced a team-high 22 points, including 3 of 6 on 3-point attempts, in the Mustangs’ 86-71 exhibition victory over Oklahoma State on Oct. 25.

    Miller finished with 20 points and eight assists and was 3-for-4 behind the arc.

    Tarleton State, coming off an injury-plagued 12-20 season and sixth-place finish in the WAC, ranked second in the nation in forcing turnovers (16.66 per game) and 11th in steals (9.4). The Texans welcome 12 newcomers to the program, including seven transfers.

    ‘This should be our best team that we’ve had at Tarleton State,’ said head coach Billy Gillispie, who has forged a 78-74 record over five seasons with the program based in Stephenville, Texas.

    ‘You never know about injuries. Hopefully what happened last year doesn’t happen again.’

    The Texans were down to five healthy scholarship players at times last season.

    Chris Mpaka, a senior forward who ranked third in the WAC in blocks (51) and 13th in rebounds (5.3 rpg), is the team’s top returnee.

    He has been joined by a pair of highly touted transfer guards in Cam McDowell, who averaged 27.3 ppg at Northwest Oklahoma State, and junior Dior Johnson, who originally signed with Pittsburgh and was ranked No. 35 in ESPN’s Top 100 as a prep. He averaged 2.9 points in limited minutes for UCF last year.

    –Field Level Media

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