Dec. 21, 2005
TUCSON, Ariz. - Senior guard Justin Rose scored a career-high 24 points, but the UCF men's basketball team could not overcome a turnover-filled first half and dropped a 68-63 contest to Sam Houston State on Wednesday evening at the McKale Center in the consolation game of the Fiesta Bowl Classic. The Golden Knights (5-4) had 15 turnovers in the opening period and finished with 25 for the game.
Sam Houston State improves to 7-3 with the win.
After trailing the entire game, the Golden Knights led 37-36 with 13 minutes to play following a jumper from senior forward Anthony Williams. The Bearkats then raced back, using an 11-1 run to pull away. Ryan Bright had four points during the stretch and capped the run with a jumper to hand Sam Houston State a 47-37 edge with 9:07 on the clock.
The Golden Knights shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game, but committed 23 fouls, compared to only 12 for Sam Houston State. The squad's 25 turnovers were a season-high.
"We took care of the ball in the first four games of the season and we've struggled in the last five games with too many turnovers," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "A lot of our turnovers were charges. People are trying to create opportunities that aren't there."
The Bearkats led by six at the half, but UCF started the second period on a 13-6 run. Junior forward Josh Peppers got things rolling for the Golden Knights with a three-pointer and freshman forward Kenrick Zondervan scored two baskets inside during the spurt.
Junior forward Lavell Payne got the Golden Knights within two points with a dunk off of an inbounds pass from sophomore guard Dave Noel.
Rose shot 9-of-15 overall in the losing effort and canned three treys. His 10 rebounds matched a career-high as he registered his second double-double of the year.
Peppers totaled 14 points, with 10 coming in the second half. UCF made only seven total trips to the free-throw line, compared to 24 for Sam Houston State.
Chris Jordan got the Bearkats going early, scoring 12 first-half points. He finished with a team-high 17 points. Sam Houston State shot 54.2 percent in the second half and 49 percent for the contest. Bright had 12 points and nine rebounds and reserve Aaron Wade recorded 13 points.
Following the Arizona-Western Kentucky title game, Peppers was named to the all-tournament team.
The Golden Knights will return to action in Orlando on Dec. 29, at the UCF Holiday Classic. UCF opens the event with a contest against North Florida at 8 p.m. Birmingham-Southern and Western Illinois are also participating in the tournament and will meet at 6 p.m. at UCF Arena. The event concludes on Dec. 30 with the consolation and championship games, starting at 6 p.m.