Isaiah Sykes hit two free throws with 3.5 seconds left, and Central Florida held off Bethune-Cookman 53-51 on Saturday.
Sykes scored 15 points, including the Knight's final eight. He gave UCF (6-2) its first lead since the opening minutes at 49-48 with 3:04 left and a 51-48 lead with 1:17 remaining.
Bethune-Cookman (3-6) tied it at 51-51 on two Anthony Breeze free throws with 51 seconds remaining and a Kevin Dukes free throw with 6.2 seconds left. Sykes was fouled at mid-court and sank both from the line.
Keith Clanton had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for UCF, which outscored Bethune-Cookman 20-3 at the line.
Bethune-Cookman led 25-14 on a Dukes 3-pointer with 6:14 remaining in the first half, but UCF closed it to a 28-22 halftime game.
Dukes led the Wildcats with13 points, while Garrius Holloman scored eight of his 12 points in the second half.
