Jan. 25, 2006
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Senior guard Justin Rose scored 18 points to lift visiting UCF to a 64-59 Conference USA victory over East Carolina at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday evening. The Golden Knights (9-8, 3-1 C-USA) have won three-consecutive league games.
East Carolina has lost five-straight games and falls to 6-12 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
UCF shot 60.9 percent from the field in the first half and 46.5 percent for the game.
"I thought that our guys had a decent first half," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "Our guys battled down the stretch. I am proud of their effort."
After UCF led 37-30 at halftime, the hosts got within two points three minutes into the second stanza. Rose then had six points as the Golden Knights responded with an 8-0 run. His three-pointer to cap the spurt handed UCF a 46-36 edge with 14:48 to play.
The Pirates trailed by only five late in the contest, but the Golden Knights hit six free throws in the final 1:30 to secure the victory.
Senior forward Anthony Williams posted 11 of his 14 points in the first half. Off of the bench, senior forward Marcus Johnson scored nine points and had five boards.
The Golden Knights shot 76 percent from the free-throw line, an improvement on their 61.4 season mark.
Corey Rouse recorded a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Josh King added 10 points for East Carolina.
The Pirates shot 35.2 percent overall and made just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from deep.
UCF will close out a two-game conference road swing on Saturday, facing host Memphis at the FedEx Forum. The matchup with the third-ranked Tigers will be televised nationally on CSTV. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. Eastern.