UCF 76, South Carolina Upstate 69: B.J. Taylor collected 25 points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Knights held off the visiting Spartans.

Staphon Blair and Brandon Goodwin added 11 points apiece for UCF (3-0), which shot 53.7 percent from the field to help make up for 15 turnovers. Kasey Wilson recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights.

Mario Blessing had 14 points and eight assists while Ty Green scored 14 for USC Upstate (3-1). Michael Buchanan chipped in 12 points and eight boards off the bench, but the Spartans came up short down the stretch.

UCF took a 68-61 edge on Wilson’s free throw but USC Upstate closed within 73-69 on Greene’s layup with 35 seconds left. Shaheed Davis hit a pair of free throws and Taylor added another as the Knights closed it out at the line.

The Spartans led by as much as nine points in the first half before Taylor’s 3-pointer closed the deficit to 37-35 at the half. Damian Goodwin’s free throw gave USC Upstate a 61-59 lead with 9:27 left before the Spartans went 6:32 without scoring.

GAME NOTEBOOK: UCF leading scorer Adonys Henriquez, who came in entering 16 points, was held to five points on 2-of-5 shooting. … Davis added six rebounds for the Knights, who claimed a 41-32 advantage on the boards. … USC Upstate fell to 1-5 against current members of the American Athletic Conference.