ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Gary Johnson had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead Central Florida to a 62-56 victory over winless Missouri-Kansas City on Saturday night.
The Knights (5-1) took the lead for good at 53-50 on a 3-pointer by Justin Rose with 4:06 remaining. The Kangaroos cut the deficit to one on a pair of free throws by Mike English, but UCF went on a 7-1 run in the next three-and-a-half minutes and coasted to the win.
Josh Peppers added nine points for UCF, all coming in the second half.
Mose Howard led UMKC (0-3) with 17 points while English finished with 13 points and Corey Starks added 10.
The Golden Knights' 3-pointers kept them in the lead for most of the first half, hitting 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, including three from Johnson.
Five different UCF players had at least one 3-pointer in the first half as the Knights led 25-23 at halftime.
