ORLANDO, Fla. — In a thrilling nonconference matchup on Friday night, UCF edged out Purdue-Fort Wayne with a final score of 75-68, thanks in part to a late-game surge from Jordan Ivy-Curry, who finished with 18 points, including four crucial points in the final three minutes.

At halftime, UCF held a narrow lead of 34-33, but Purdue-Fort Wayne took control early in the second half. The Mastodons’ Quinton Morton-Robertson hit a jumper to put his team ahead, maintaining the lead for most of the half. It wasn’t until Ivy-Curry made a significant layup after an official timeout with 3:51 remaining that UCF reclaimed the lead. Moustapha Thiam followed shortly thereafter with another jumper, pushing the Knights to a 68-64 advantage. Purdue-Fort Wayne struggled to keep pace, with Morton-Robertson’s layup at the 2:17 mark being their last points of the game.

Despite a challenging shooting night, Ivy-Curry made an impressive mark at the charity stripe, going a perfect 8-for-8 on free throws. He struggled from the field, hitting only 5 of 12 attempts and failing to connect on any of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Keyshawn Hall contributed significantly to UCF’s efforts, logging a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Thiam also made his presence felt, scoring 13 points and adding six rebounds. As a team, UCF shot 42.4% overall, making just two of their 20 attempts from three-point range.

On the other side, Purdue-Fort Wayne’s offense was led by Eric Mulder and Morton-Robertson, each contributing 11 points, while Jalen Jackson added 10 points for the Mastodons. The team finished with a shooting percentage of 43.1%, converting 28 of 65 attempts from the field. They also struggled from beyond the arc, sinking 8 of their 29 three-point shots.

Overall, UCF’s ability to capitalize on free throws and key plays in the closing moments ultimately secured their victory, improving their record to 2-0 for the season, while Purdue-Fort Wayne now stands at 1-1.