Carmelo Pacheco and Dior Johnson each dropped 24 points to lead UCF past South Alabama, 76-69, on Tuesday night in Orlando.
The Knights, who trailed at halftime for the third consecutive game, splashed a season-high 17 3-pointers. UCF (3-0) shot 53.8% from the field and 47.4% from deep in the second half.
Pacheco drained a career-high eight triples. Johnson had nine assists and five steals, while Arturo Dean contributed three steals.
Aaron Goldstein paced South Alabama (1-2) with 20 points, including six 3-point makes. Stephen Williams grabbed 11 rebounds and added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
Johnson, the nation’s leader in points per game, got off to a hot start for UCF. He hit a 3-pointer just 14 seconds into the game and scored five of the Knights’ first 10 points.
While Johnson and Dean helped UCF build a 5-0 lead, South Alabama responded with a balanced effort. Jalen Langsy, Goldstein and Williams each knocked down jumpers.
With the Knights enduring a four-minute scoring drought, the Jaguars capitalized to take a 16-10 lead behind a 9-0 scoring run.
But Cayden Vasko made an immediate impact off the bench, connecting on a pair of shots from deep to halt the momentum. Still, UCF couldn’t get the timely stops to retake its lead. South Alabama shot 38.5% from 3-point range and hauled in 10 offensive rebounds during the first half.
Despite the Knights’ struggles from the field, they only trailed 34-32 at halftime. That was courtesy of Pacheco, who scored a game-high 12 points in the first half off four triples.
While Davaughn Hueitt converted an early three-point play, Johnson and Pacheco combined for three 3-pointers to restore UCF’s lead, 41-37.
The Knights made six of their first eight 3-point attempts after halftime, with Pacheco and Johnson hitting three apiece to build a 52-46 lead.
Even with South Alabama shooting 50% in the second half, seven turnovers led to 14 points for the Knights.
UCF stretched its lead to 61-49 with nine minutes remaining. South Alabama cut the deficit to six, but the Knights held on to remain unbeaten.