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BYU center Aly Khalifa waves goodbye to UCF fans during the final moments of an NCAA college basketball game against Central Florida, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla.

John Raoux, AP Photo

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Central Florida guard Jaylin Sellers, center, and BYU guard Trevin Knell (21) go after thse ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla.

John Raoux, AP Photo

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Central Florida guard Darius Johnson, left, goes up to shoot against BYU guard Spencer Johnson (20) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla.

John Raoux, AP Photo

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BYU center Aly Khalifa (50) looks for a way around Central Florida forward C.J. Walker, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla.

John Raoux, AP Photo

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When 6-foot-11 Aly Khalifa rolled down the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk midway through the second half to give BYU a double-digit lead at UCF on Saturday, it almost seemed that the Cougars’ first Big 12 win was inevitable.

That’s not how this league works.

BYU lost almost all of a 13-point lead down the stretch, missed critical free throws and gave the home team plenty of chances to win the game. But a strong defensive effort that held the Knights scoreless over the final two minutes was rewarded and the Cougars picked up their first Big 12 victory, 63-58, at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Fla.

The win came three days after UCF upset third-ranked Kansas on that same floor.

“Nobody’s safe,” said BYU’s Richie Saunders, who made a pair of free throws with 1.1 seconds to play to finally secure the victory. “Just because somebody comes out and beat the No. 3 team in the country, they’re still beatable. Every game you’ve got to show up.”

Khalifa showed up big time, scoring a BYU career-best 17 points and making three 3-pointers in a game where the Cougars had a tough time getting into the flow on the offensive end.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever had a player that expands the floor more than Aly does,” Cougar coach Mark Pope said on his post-game radio appearance. “This win comes down to a lot of things. It comes down to individual efforts for us tonight. It came down to just find a way to have some like on the defensive glass, make a couple of free throws and be aggressive enough.”

BYU took a 13-11 lead with 12:20 to play in the first half on back-to-back 3-pointers by Trevin Knell and Spencer Johnson and clung to a 26-24 lead at the half.

UCF managed a 27-26 lead in the first few minutes of the second half but triples from Knell and Khalifa pushed the advantage ba46-36 with 10:52 remaining and the big man drained his third 3-pointer of the game for a 57-44 BYU lead with 7:12 to play.

UCF rallied by getting to the foul line and closed to 60-59 on a pair of C.J. Walker free throws with two minutes remaining. BYU finally figured out how to defend without fouling and the Knights, which shot just 29% from the field, didn’t score the remainder of the game.

“Their team is built on defense,” Pope said. “They are a top 25 defensive team. They play with intensity and they have length and physical athleticism. Then they have a couple of guys that are terrific playmakers, especially down the stretch. There were a couple times where I felt like our whole team got swallowed up on the offensive glass. But there were also guys that rose up and made huge plays.”

Knell finished with 14 points on 4 of 9 from the 3-point line and Johnson added 12 points. BYU was 9 of 26 (35%) from beyond the arc but finished 6 of 13 from distance in the second half.

Darius Johnson paced UCF (10-5 overall, 1-2 Big 12) with 18 points and big man Ibrahim Diallo had 19 rebounds and two blocks to go along with 11 points.

The Cougars continue to struggle with Big 12 officiating. The Knights made 21 of 33 from the foul line, compared to 12 of 17 for BYU.

The 18th-ranked Cougars (13-3, 1-2) return to the Marriott Center for a Tuesday game against Iowa State.

Expect more grind-it-out action.

Pope, who won his 100th game at BYU, certainly does.

“I’m learning so much, but we’re really blessed to be in this league where every single game is this type of environment and against teams that are ridiculously good,” Pope said. “I’m a big fan of college basketball and this felt like what you want in the best league in college basketball.

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