News

There was bound to be a learning curve when you’re dealing with a roster that featured 13 newcomers.

UCF found that out the hard way as the Knights seemed out of sorts at times throughout the night before finally putting away a pesky Hofstra team, 82-78, in the season opener on Monday night at Addition Financial Arena.

The Knights are 9-1 in season openers under coach Johnny Dawkins.

Hofstra found itself in foul trouble throughout much of the game and it caught up with the Pride as UCF went to the free-throw line 36 times, connecting on 22 shots before pulling away late.

Riley Kugel led the Knights with 19 points, while Jordan Burks had 17 and Themus Fulks had 16 — 13 in the second half.

UCF grabbed an early 5-2 lead to open the game, but Hofstra responded with a 14-1 run over a five-minute stretch that caused unease among the home crowd.

Kugel would step up considerably, sinking the first 3-pointer of the game to cut the lead to 16-10 halfway through the first half. He followed it up with a fast-break pass to Burks for a dunk, and then a few plays later, the senior guard was fouled while connecting on a 30-foot shot that tied the game at 18 and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Burks’ layup with 7:15 gave the Knights their first lead since the 17:32 mark.

After being sporadic offensively throughout much of the first half, UCF found its footing, connecting on six of its next seven shots. Hofstra, on the other hand, missed on three of its next four shots.

The Knights built up a 9-point lead before the Pride cut it to 36-32 at the half.

Hofstra retook the lead at 53-51 with 12:59 left in the second half after Preston Edmead was fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Burks hit a 3-pointer to give UCF the lead back at 54-53.

The Pride had four players in double-figures, led by David Cruz’s 17 points.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

In their season opener on Monday at Addition Financial Arena, UCF’s women’s basketball team showcased a relentless defense against Bethune-Cookman, restricting the Wildcats to just two field goals in the first quarter as the Knights built a comfortable double-digit lead while cruising to a convincing 75-36 victory.

UCF scored 38 of its points off 26 forced turnovers by B-CU.

“That’s how we’re going to have to score until we get our chemistry down and become a better half-court offensive team, points off of turnovers,” said coach Sytia Messer. “I feel our player did a good job. If we can continue to do that, that’s going to help us reach our goal this season.”

The Knights had 11 players score in the game, led by Leah Harmon, who had 14 points and Khyala Ngodu, Jacorri Bracey and Savannah Scott with 10 points apiece.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

CORAL GABLES — The Jai Lucas era of Hurricanes basketball is off to a good start.

Miami began the season with an 86-69 win over overmatched Jacksonville at the Watsco Center, earning the first career win for UM’s new coach.

After the game, Lucas’ wife, Kori, surprised him with the game ball in the locker room.

“It was big because, one, I’ve never seen my wife that fired up,” Lucas said. “So it was exciting to see her like that. And she’s been the biggest part of my journey with this, though. So just sharing this moment with me means the world. She is part of the reason, planting this seed in my head and why I’m sitting in this seat (is) because of her and everything she sacrificed for me. So without her, I wouldn’t be able to sit here and be here.”

Former Miami coach Jim Larrañaga was also in attendance on Monday night, passing the torch to Lucas.

“For Coach L and his wife to be here is huge,” Lucas said. “Like I’ve always said — and I’ll say it because it is true — but this is the program that he built, and all the success you look up (and see) in the banners come from him. So he’s welcomed me with open arms ever since I got here. And to see him at the first game, him and his wife, was just a blessing to me.”

Lucas’ debut started out closer than expected. Jacksonville took a brief lead early in the first half after the Dolphins sank a series of three-pointers, and Jacksonville, coached by Lucas’ close friend Jordan Mincy, came out in a 1-3-1 zone defense that it hadn’t played in three years.

“After the first two possessions, I look over there and he’s smiling,” Lucas said.

Said Mincy: “I don’t think they were prepared for that. They probably thought we were going to play man. And so we kind of threw a curveball at the very beginning of the game.”

But Miami seized the lead again less than halfway through the first period and never looked back. The Hurricanes took a six-point lead into halftime and made adjustments to counter the Dolphins’ zone defense. UM built up its lead throughout the second half, drawing fouls and going to the line 37 times (and shooting 78.4 percent on free throws).

“We have good resilience, and the one thing that carried over was our rebound and our physicality and our ability to get to the free-throw line,” Lucas said. “We’ve done that in our scrimmages and it carried over in this game.”

Forward Malik Reneau led Miami with 20 points, and guard Tre Donaldson (11), forward Shelton Henderson (15) and guard Tru Washington (12) all finished in double figures. Center Ernest Udeh Jr., in his first game as a Hurricane, notched a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

With one win under their belt, the Hurricanes face Bethune-Cookman on Thursday. The Wildcats took No. 20 Auburn to overtime before losing.

“It was super special for everybody, not just me,” Reneau said. “Coach got his first win, (Udeh) got a double-double. So there’s a lot of good play from us. We just got to keep going every day and then practice hard every single day, and then it’s going to show when you get out on the court.”

By W.G. RAMIREZ

LAS VEGAS Freshman Koa Peat scored 30 points to lead No. 13 Arizona to a 93-87 win over third-ranked and defending national champion Florida in the Hall of Fame Series on Monday night.

Peat was impressive in his college debut, shooting 11 of 18 from the floor and adding seven rebounds and five assists. He was fouled making a defensive rebound with 14.2 seconds left and hit his two ensuing free throws to seal the victory in both teams’ season opener.

But, it was consecutive dunks by Peat late in the second half that sent the crowd at T-Mobile Arena into a frenzy and punctuated his first colelge game.

Jaden Bradley was also impressive, scoring 27 points, including 11 of Arizona’s final 18 points, to help seal the win.

Ivan Kharchenkov shook off an injury late in the first half that sent him to the locker room and finished with 12 points for the Wildcats.

Thomas Haugh led Florida with 27 points, Xaivian Lee scored 14 and Alex Condon and Micah Handlogten each had 11.

The Wildcats shot 49.2% (30 of 61) from the field, while Florida’s poor second-half shooting (14 of 38, 36.8%) sealed its fate.

The Gators opened the game strong, pushing their lead to 12 points after hitting 11 of their first 16 shots.

The Wildcats clamped down on defense and held Florida to 5-for-16 shooting the rest of the half while going on a 32-16 run by hitting 11 of 18 shots down the stretch.

Arizona, which shot 50% from the floor in the first half, led 50-46 at halftime.

Florida: Hosts North Florida on Thursday.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Denny’s said Monday that it’s being acquired by a group on investors in a deal that will take the breakfast chain private.

• Starbucks sells 60% stake in China business in $4 billion deal
• Microsoft $9.7 billion deal with IREN will give it access to Nvidia chips
• OpenAI and Amazon sign $38 billion deal for AI computing power
• Florida Blue may go out of network for Cleveland Clinic in Broward
• Should couples have a separate or joint bank account?

Denny’s board unanimously approved the deal, which values Denny’s at $620 million including debt. Denny’s will be purchased by private equity investment company TriArtisan Capital Advisors, investment firm Treville Capital and Yadav Enterprises, which is one of Denny’s largest franchisees.

Under the agreement, Denny’s shareholders will receive $6.25 per share in cash for each share of Denny’s common stock they own, or a total of $322 million. That represents a 52% premium to Denny’s closing stock price Monday.

Denny’s shares jumped 47% in after-hours trading Monday.

Denny’s was founded in 1953 in Lakewood, California, as Danny’s Donuts. The name was changed to Denny’s Coffee Shops in 1959 to avoid confusion with another chain. Denny’s began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1969.

Like many casual chains, Denny’s saw its sales plummet during the COVID pandemic. Once the pandemic eased, it found itself dealing with changing customer dining patterns, including a heavier reliance on delivery. Denny’s has also struggled as newer chains like First Watch promoted healthier breakfast options.

Last fall, Denny’s said it planned to close 150 of its lowest-performing locations. At the end of the second quarter, Denny’s had 1,558 restaurants worldwide, including 1,422 Denny’s restaurants and 74 Keke’s restaurants. Denny’s acquired the Keke’s brand in 2022.

Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade said the company reached out to more than 40 potential buyers and received multiple offers. Valade said Denny’s board believed the deal announced Monday was in the best interest of shareholders and the best path forward for the company.

TriArtisan Co-Founder and Managing Director Rhohit Manocha called Denny’s “an iconic piece of the American dream” with a strong franchise base and loyal customers.

“We look forward to working with Kelli and the rest of the Denny’s team and franchisees to provide resources and support the Company’s long-term strategic growth plans,” Manocha said in a statement.

If it’s accepted by Denny’s shareholders, the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.