Feb. 20, 2005
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ORLANDO - The UCF men's basketball team plays its 2004-05 home finale on Monday evening, hosting South Dakota State. Tip off at UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
The Golden Knights enter the contest 18-8 on the year, while SDSU is 9-17.
ABOUT UCF The Golden Knights have won six of its last seven games. Josh Peppers leads the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Gary Johnson (12.3) and Anthony Williams (11.5) are also averaging double-digits in scoring. Williams is UCF's top rebounder at 5.9 an outing. Kingsley Edwards paces the squad with 104 assists on the year.
As a team, the Golden Knights are averaging 70 points per game and only allowing 65.9. From the field, UCF is shooting 46.1 percent. The team is hitting 69.1 percent of its free-throw attempts. UCF's +7.2 rebounding margin is the best in the Atlantic Sun.
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE The Jackrabbits participated in the National Independent Tournament in Ft. Myers, Fla. last week. The squad finished third at the event after posting an 87-57 victory over Puerto Rico Bayamon on Feb. 19.
Freshman forward Steve Holdren led SDSU with 19 points in the win. A pair of sophomore forwards, Ben Beran and Joe Green, added 18 and 17 points, respectively. The Jackrabbits held a 50-22 edge on boards and shot 48 percent overall and hit 28-of-32 tries from the line.
Beran is the team's leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. Holdren is adding 11.7 points a contest and Green is the top rebounder on the squad (6.7 an outing). As a team, the Jackrabbits are shooting 40.9 percent from the field and averaging 64.8 points per game, while opponents are scoring 72.1. Foes are shooting 43.8 percent overall and 37.8 percent from deep.
The program is in its first season of Division I competition and is playing an independent schedule. SDSU has played 12 D-I foes and has recorded one win, an 82-80 decision at Tennessee State on Dec. 22.
In their most recent game against a D-I team, the Jackrabbits suffered an 82-49 loss at Colorado on Feb. 14. The squad lost at UMKC (a team that UCF has beaten twice this year), 95-85, on Jan. 17.
Head coach Scott Nagy is in his 10th season at SDSU and is 219-77 during that time.
SERIES HISTORY The squads are meeting for the first time. UCF has never faced an opponent from the State of South Dakota.
LATE NON-CONFERENCE GAME UCF will close its home schedule against a non-Atlantic Sun opponent for the first time since joining the league in 1992. The contest will also mark the latest date for a non-conference game for UCF since hosting Hampton on Jan. 31, 2001.
SENIOR KNIGHT Prior to this evening's game, UCF will honor its three seniors. Marcus Avant, Kingsley Edwards and Gary Johnson will be recognized for their career achievements.
ON THE AIR UCF-South Dakota State will be broadcast live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740-THE TEAM (AM). Marc Daniels will call all of the action 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.