Jan. 28, 2006
MEMPHIS - UCF had a solid first-half showing, but third-ranked Memphis was too much for the Golden Knights, posting a 94-61 Conference USA win on Saturday at FedEx Forum. With the loss, UCF falls to 9-9 overall and 3-2 in league play.
The Tigers (19-2, 5-0) shot 50.9 percent from the floor for the game. Four Memphis players, led by All-American Rodney Carney with 26 points, finished with double-figures in scoring.
"Memphis is a very good basketball team, very quick and athletic," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "They got the game going the way they wanted to. From our standpoint, we did not execute the things that we needed to."
UCF was competitive early on and grabbed a 20-18 lead nine minutes into the contest on a three-pointer by junior forward and Memphis native Josh Peppers. The advantage grew to three points on the Golden Knights' next possession when junior forward Lavell Payne grabbed an offensive board and then scored inside.
Carney and Antonio Anderson then combined for 11 points as the hosts closed the first half with a 23-8 run. After Carney nailed a triple with 53 seconds left, the Tigers took a 42-30 lead into intermission.
UCF was facing a team ranked in the top-five nationally for the first time since the team played No. 2 Florida in Jacksonville on Dec. 4, 2003.
Memphis shot 53.3 percent from the field in the second half. The Tigers led by as many as 34 points in the second half.
The Tigers scored 33 points off of UCF turnovers (21).
Sophomore guards Mike O'Donnell and Dave Noel each scored 10 points in the loss. Noel's effort was a season-best. Peppers finished with nine points.
Due to foul trouble for senior forward Anthony Williams, senior forward Marcus Johnson and sophomore center Adam Gill both saw considerable action. Johnson totaled eight points and Gill had six points on 3-of-4 shooting.
UCF shot 40 percent overall for the contest and made just 11 trips to the free-throw line, compared to 34 for the Tigers.
Carney connected on five treys and also registered three steals. Shawne Williams scored 16 points and Clyde Wade posted 15 points. Anderson chipped in with 14 points.
The Golden Knights return home to host UAB for a conference contest on Saturday at 3 p.m. The contest will be aired live on CSTV and will serve as the first nationally televised home game in UCF history.