Feb. 18, 2005
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ORLANDO - The UCF men's basketball team, which has won five of its last six contests, seeks to continue its hot streak on Saturday when the squad hosts Georgia State in a key Atlantic Sun matchup. Tip off at UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
The Golden Knights (17-8, 10-7 A-Sun) and Panthers (13-12, 10-7) are both part of a tight conference race and in the hunt for spots in the league championship.
ABOUT UCF The Golden Knights play their second game in three days, hosting Georgia State. The team is in the middle of a three game in five day stretch. UCF has won five of its last six games, most recently a 79-65 victory over visiting Mercer on Feb. 17. That contest was the team's first game in Orlando since Jan. 31.
Josh Peppers is the squad's top scorer at 13 points per game. Gary Johnson (12.7) and Anthony Williams (11.8) are also averaging double-digits in scoring. Williams is UCF's top rebounder at 6.1 per outing. Johnson has recorded 97 assists and 53 steals to pace the Golden Knights in both categories.
On the season, UCF is averaging 70 points per game, while allowing an Atlantic Sun-low 65.9. The Golden Knights also lead the league in field-goal percentage (46.2) and are shooting 68.9 percent from the charity stripe. UCF's +6.7 rebounding margin is the best in the conference. The team is shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range.
ABOUT GEORGIA STATE The Panthers topped host Florida Atlantic (80-76) on Feb. 17 to post its second-straight win. Junior guard Herman Favors led the team with 21 points off the bench. Fellow junior guard Boyd Copeland added 18 points, seven boards and seven assists.
Senior forward Marcus Brown is the fourth-leading scorer in the A-Sun at 15.2 points per game. Also averaging double-digits in scoring is senior forward Kevin Thomas (12.3) and junior guard Malcolm Manier (10.7). Copeland is Georgia State's top rebounder, grabbing 5.2 boards a game. He has also tallied 96 assists. Down low, senior center Sylvester Morgan is leading the conference in blocks, swatting 2.64 shots each outing.
Overall, the Panthers are averaging 70.9 points and allowing 72.6. The team is shooting at a 43 percent clip from the field and 71 percent from the free-throw line. Behind Brown, who is tops in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (49.2), Georgia State is hitting 9.1 shots from behind-the-arc each game. That mark is good for eighth nationally. The team is ninth in the A-Sun in rebounding margin (-4.1).
SERIES HISTORY UCF holds a 14-13 edge in the all-time series, but the Panthers have taken two contests in a row. In Orlando, the Golden Knights have won eight-of-12 series matchups.
The squads met in Atlanta on Jan. 3, with the Panthers coming away with a 76-63 victory. Anthony Williams scored 21 points to pace UCF and Gary Johnson added 12 points. The Golden Knights shot 38.9 percent from the field and hit just 7-of-32 attempts from behind-the-arc. The Panthers got 25 points from Kevin Thomas and shot 48 percent for the game. Marcus Brown chipped in with 14 points and Boyd Copeland had a complete game with six points, seven boards and six assists.
Under head coach Kirk Speraw, the Golden Knights are 11-10 versus the Panthers. In his third year on the Georgia State bench, Michael Perry is 2-2 against UCF.
HONORING TORCHY In conjunction with the UCF Alumni Association, the Georgia State-UCF game will feature a halftime presentation in honor of former Golden Knight head coach Gene "Torchy" Clark.
Clark started the basketball program on the Orlando campus and is the school's all-time leader in victories with 274. He led the team from 1969-83 and coached the 1978 squad that advanced to the Division II Final Four. Clark was diagnosed with cancer in late 2004 and is undergoing treatment at this time.
As a tribute of his work at UCF, an endowment has been established to support scholarships for undergraduate students at UCF enrolled in the physical education program and graduate students in the sports leadership program.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE RECOGNITION Also at halftime, UCF will honor its scholar athletes from all of the Golden Knight athletic programs.
ON THE AIR UCF-Georgia State will be broadcast live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station 740-THE TEAM (AM). Marc Daniels will have the call from courtside.
TICKET INFORMATION Tickets for the game are still available. For more information, or to order tickets, please call (407) UCF-GOLD. Children under five and UCF students will a valid school ID are admitted free.