What a difference six minutes can make.

With six minutes remaining on Tuesday, Jan. 27, evening, Arizona State led UCF 70-58, with 12 being its largest lead of the game to that point.

While the Sun Devils hit 8 of their last 9 three-point attempts, the Knights were an ice-cold 2-for-19 from behind the arc.

Then, in a blink, that storyline turned upside down.

UCF (16-4, 5-3 Big 12) drilled five consecutive 3-pointers and mounted a massive late-game comeback to shock ASU (11-10, 2-6 Big 12) 79-76 at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday night.

The Sun Devils only mustered four points in the final five minutes of the contest, which made up the bulk of a 21-6 Knights run to end the game.

UCF took its first lead since the 6:13 mark of the first half with 1:11 to play, when an offensive rebound by senior guard Riley Kugel turned into an open three for junior guard Carmelo Pacheco.

After two free throws from ASU senior guard Moe Odum, the Knights took the lead for good on a trey from junior guard Jordan Burks, assisted by Kugel.

Then, an Odum turnover and an unsuccessful last-second 3-pointer from junior guard Bryce Ford put the final nail in the Sun Devils’ coffin.

Kugel was all over the statsheet for UCF, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Burks poured in 15 points of his own.

Senior guard Themus Fulks and senior forward Jamichael Stillwell both ended in double figures for the Knights, contributing 12 and 14 points, respectively. 

Fulks also dished out six assists without a single turnover.

However, senior forward and former Sun Devil Devan Cambridge struggled all night for UCF, finishing with just one point and picking up four fouls.

Across the court, Odum continued his consistent ways for ASU, dropping 18 points and six assists before fouling out late. Senior guard Anthony “Pig” Johnson added 12 points off the bench, while junior guard Bryce Ford was good for 11 points.

Rebounding has been a constant issue for the Sun Devils all season and remained true on Tuesday, as UCF dominated the battle on the boards 40-28 and had three different players – Kugel, Stillwell and sophomore center John Bol – finish with nine-plus rebounds.

Adding to ASU’s sloppy effort, the two squads combined for 39 fouls in the final 20 minutes and got into a small skirmish after a fight for a rebound between Ford and Burks.

The tight officiating in the second half by Kipp Kissinger and Brooks Wells came after the third official on the crew, Jeffrey Anderson, suffered an injury in the first half and was unable to return.

Tuesday’s loss is a deflating one for an ASU squad that appeared to be on its way to back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 13. 

However, the Sun Devils need all the momentum they can get, as they host undefeated No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 31.

The Knights avoid an unattractive loss on their tournament resume and stay on track to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2019.

 UCF is back in action in Orlando on Saturday, Jan. 31, against a No. 11 Texas Tech team that has strung together five wins in a row and is fresh off a statement 90-86 win over No. 6 Houston last Saturday, Jan. 24.