Feb. 23, 2005
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BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - After three consecutive games at home, the UCF men's basketball team returns to the road for a pair of Atlantic Sun contests to close out the season. The Golden Knights (19-8, 11-7 A-Sun) face conference-leading Gardner-Webb (15-10, 12-6) on Thursday evening at 8:15 p.m.
UCF concludes its regular season on Saturday at Campbell.
ABOUT UCF The Golden Knights have won three in a row and seven of their last eight contests. Josh Peppers is the team's top scorer at 13.5 points per game. Gary Johnson (12.8) and Anthony Williams (11.4) are also averaging double-digits in scoring. Williams is first on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game. Kingsley Edwards has totaled 111 assists and Johnson paces the squad with 57 steals on the year.
As a team, UCF is scoring 70.4 points per game, while allowing an Atlantic Sun-low 66.1. From the field, the Golden Knights are shooting 46.1 percent, the top mark in the league. At the line, UCF is hitting at a 68.7 percent clip and the team is making 36.3 percent of its three-point field goal tries. UCF is the top rebounding squad in the conference, posting a +7.0 margin, which also ranks 14th nationally.
ABOUT GARDNER-WEBB The Runnin' Bulldogs snapped a four-game winning streak with an 80-61 loss at Lipscomb on Feb. 19. Gardner-Webb shot just 38.3 from the field, compared to 52.1 percent for the Bison, who had a 45-30 edge on the boards. Junior guard Tim Jennings led the team with 20 points in the loss and junior center Simon Conn added 10.
Senior forward Brian Bender is second in the league in scoring with 15.9 points per game. He is also averaging 6.4 boards and paces the A-Sun with an 81.4 free-throw percentage. Jennings is averaging 13.4 points and 2.9 steals an outing. Conn is among league leaders in rebounds per game (7.0) and field-goal percentage at 57.1 percent. Junior guard T.J. McCullough is averaging 4.1 assists a contest.
As a team, the Bulldogs are scoring 73.2 points each game and allowing 68.8, which is good for second-best in the league rankings. From the floor, the team is shooting at a 43.7 clip. Gardner-Webb ranks ninth in the A-Sun in three-point field-goal percentage (33.3) and is shooting 68.4 from the charity stripe.
SERIES HISTORY UCF holds a 3-1 series edge against Gardner-Webb. In Boiling Springs, the Golden Knights won the only series matchup, 71-60, on Dec. 17, 2003... Earlier this season, the teams met in Orlando, with the Bulldogs claiming a 67-55 victory. Tim Jennings and Simon Conn each scored 14 points to lead the way for the visitors... Will Bakanowsky led UCF with a 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds... The Golden Knights made just 9-of-18 attempts at the line during the game. Gardner-Webb owned a 44-36 rebounding advantage.
ON THE AIR The game will be broadcast live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740-THE TEAM (AM). Marc Daniels will provide the call from courtside.