UCF surges past Oklahoma State in Big 12 Tournament opener

UCF used a dominant second half to defeat Oklahoma State 77-62 in the opening game of the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City.

Holding on to a 35-31 lead at halftime, the No. 12 seed Knights opened the second half on an 18-1 run and never looked back.

Ibrahima Diallo was a force inside, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds. CJ Walker scored 12 points, while Darius Johnson chipped in 11 points.

"It's our first year in the Big 12 and first tournament," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "I'm really proud of how our guys represented our program. I thought they came out very excited in the first half, played with a lot of energy. I thought the second half was one of the best defensive efforts to start a half since I've been coaching at UCF. It was a great defensive effort to build a lead in the second half. I'm really proud of how our guys played."

UCF advances to Wednesday's second round and will play No. 5 seed BYU. The Cougars won both meetings during the regular season, a 63-58 win at UCF on Jan. 13 and a 90-88 decision in Provo on Feb. 13.