ORLANDO, Fla. -- Brandon Mahan scored 12 of his team-high 19 points in the last five minutes to help UCF hold off Wichita State, 71-66, Tuesday night at Addition Financial Arena.
Tyson Etienne scored 17 of his game-high 26 in the second half for WSU (12-9, 3-6 American), which nearly overcame a 16-point second-half deficit.
Mahan was 6-of-10 from the field and secured nine rebounds to keep UCF (14-8, 6-6) in front. His final stretch included a four-point play and a pair of three-point plays, the last with 26 seconds on the clock and the Knights clinging to a 66-64 lead.
The win was UCF's first-ever in the series. The Shockers had won all eight previous meetings, including an 84-79 decision less than two weeks ago in Wichita.
UCF sank 11 on 29 three-point attempts (.380), five of them by Darin Green Jr., who finished with 17 points.
Helped by a 5-of-12 line from Etienne, WSU sank 11 of its 26 three-point tries (.420).
Craig Porter Jr. finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. He was 2-for-2 from distance.
Dexter Dennis sank all three of his three-point looks on his way to 11 points and six boards.
The Shockers made their first three triples of the night to build a quick 11-2 lead. They scored 15 points in the game's first five minutes but managed just 14 more the rest of the half, due in part to 10 first-half turnovers.
The Knights outscored the Shockers 24-6 over the next 10 minutes to go up by double-figures and led by 14 at the intermission. They hosts were 8-of-17 from three at that stage but made just three more the rest of the way.
Down 16 (47-31) with 18:08 to play, WSU began its comeback bid.
Etienne scored the last seven points in a 13-0 Shocker run that sliced UCF's lead down to 49-47 at the 13:22-mark.
That was as close as the Shockers would get. Down the stretch, they had four possessions with an opportunity to tie or take lead and came up empty on all of them.
WSU falls to 12-9 on the season and 3-6 in conference play.