UCF explodes in second half, rides Jeremy Foumena’s breakout to 102–91 win over Quinnipiac

ORLANDO – UCF has been tested often in the first month of the season, and Tuesday brought another dose of adversity. A confident Quinnipiac team, fresh off a win at Pitt and boasting the MAAC’s reigning Player of the Year Amarri Monroe, came into Addition Financial Arena firing, knocking down eight first-half three-pointers and building a 10-point second-half lead.

But for the fifth straight game, the Knights responded with a surge.

Fueled by a dominant 23–4 run midway through the second half and a career night from junior center Jeremy Foumena, UCF stormed back to defeat Quinnipiac 102–91, improving to 6–1 for the first time since the 2018–19 NCAA Tournament season.

The 102 points mark the Knights’ first triple-digit performance this year, and they continued to show the offensive firepower that has defined this rebuilt roster, now averaging nearly 87 points per game in wins.

A tale of two halves

Quinnipiac jumped ahead early behind torrid shooting. The Bobcats hit 57% from the field in the first half, including 8 of 15 from three, and carried a 52–47 lead into the break.

“They were even better than what I saw on tape,” Johnny Dawkins said. “We knew they could score. They’ve got the Player of the Year in their league, and they execute at a high level.”

That offensive punch continued early in the second half when the Bobcats buried two more threes to push ahead 60–50.

But everything changed from there.

UCF’s defense stiffened, flipping the identity of the game. The Knights mixed coverages, including extended zone looks, a Dawkins staple they hadn’t used much this season. The shift worked: Quinnipiac made just 1 of 15 field goals during UCF’s massive surge.

“We needed to dig in and get kills,” Burks said. “Defense is our identity. Once we locked in, that’s when the offense came.”

UCF outscored Quinnipiac 55–39 in the second half and shot 58% after halftime, finishing 53% for the game.

Foumena erupts: “I came in mentally ready to kill”

The spark came from the bench.

Jeremy Foumena, who entered the night with 17 total points on the season, delivered a statement performance: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 8-of-11 shooting and several physical, momentum-swinging finishes at the rim.

Ten of his points came after halftime, including multiple rim-rocking dunks, one of which initially went through the rim, popped back out, and was waved off.

“I came in with anger today,” Foumena said. “I told myself to get lost in the fight. Just play hard and dominate.”

Dawkins praised his growth: “His energy was amazing. He’s been improving every day. When his opportunity came, he was ready.”

Foumena spearheaded a bench unit that outscored Quinnipiac 47–23, a major storyline for a UCF team that has embraced depth as a defining strength, something Dawkins has highlighted repeatedly.

Fulks the ‘floor general’: 13 assists, fewest turnovers all year

Point guard Themus Fulks orchestrated the offense with precision, dishing out 13 assists, the first UCF player to have that many in a decade, and committing just three turnovers.

The fifth-year guard now sits among the national leaders in total assists, averaging 6.8 per game entering the night.

“He’s a terrific point guard,” Dawkins said. “He makes guys better. Tonight, his scoring wasn’t needed. His playmaking was huge.”

UCF also recorded a season-low 10 turnovers as a team.

“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” Dawkins joked.

Balanced scoring, improving chemistry

Five Knights finished in double figures:

Jeremy Foumena – 18
Riley Kugel – 16 (3-of-6 from three)
Jordan Burks – 13
John Bol – 13 (6-of-7 FG)
Chris Johnson – 11, all after halftime

UCF punished the Bobcats inside, outscoring them 54–22 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 43–29, a point of pride for a roster with one of the nation’s tallest overall lineups (23rd nationally in average height), per the game notes.

Bol and Stillwell combined for 13 rebounds, and Cambridge added 5 boards and a pair of blocks.

“We’ve got fight in us,” Burks said. “Every day in practice we go gold vs. black. It’s war. That’s why we can respond like this.”

Dawkins echoed that thought.

“I never worry about our competitive effort,” he said. “We’re only seven games in, but I see a huge upside for this group.”

Quinnipiac’s stars kept at bay late

The Bobcats were led by Jaden Zimmerman’s 26 points, including 14-of-16 at the line, while Monroe added 14 points and 7 rebounds before fouling out on a technical with 4:33 left.

Dawkins called Monroe “a future pro” and credited UCF’s second-half physicality for wearing him down.

Up next

UCF hosts VMI on Saturday at 1 p.m. The 3-5 Keydets are spending the week in Florida. They lost a 99-80 game at Stetson last Saturday, lost 78-70 to Buffalo in Fort Myers Monday and will play Bowling Green in Fort Myers before heading up to Orlando.