Jan. 18, 2006
ORLANDO - South Dakota State rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to post a 69-64 victory over the UCF men's basketball team on Wednesday evening at Torchy Clark Court at UCF Arena. The Golden Knights (7-8) shot 65.4 percent from the floor in the opening stanza, but made just six field goals in the second half.
Matt Cadwell scored a game-high 26 points for South Dakota State (5-12). Cadwell was 11-of-11 from the free-throw line as the Jackrabbits connected on 22-of-25 attempts (88 percent) from the charity stripe.
The Golden Knights shot just 6-of-26 (23.1 percent) from the field in the second half. The hosts recorded 16 assists in the first half, but totaled just two assists in the second stanza. UCF led by 10 with 9:41 to play, but South Dakota State closed the game with a 21-6 run.
"I saw a lack of execution and a lack of effort on both sides of the floor (in the second half) and a tremendous effort by South Dakota State," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "They (South Dakota State) did not do anything different in the second half than they did in the first half."
Cadwell had nine points during South Dakota State's run at the end of the game. He nailed a three-pointer with 55 seconds to play to hand the Jackrabbits a 65-62 lead. UCF had a chance to tie the game on the ensuing possession, but senior guard Troy Lindbeck's trey was off the mark.
UCF was playing its final non-conference game of the year.
Junior forward Josh Peppers paced UCF with 15 points. Senior forward Anthony Williams finished with 13 points and a pair of blocks. Williams scored six points as the Golden Knights closed the first half with on a 15-6 run. The hosts took a 43-26 advantage into intermission.
For the game, UCF shot 44.2 percent overall, but made just 5-of-20 (25 percent) from deep.
Andre Gilbert totaled 11 points for the Jackrabbits, who shot 42.6 percent from the field for the contest.
The Golden Knights return to Conference USA play on Saturday, hosting Tulsa. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.