Nov. 18, 2006
Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Sophomore guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares HS) scored a game-high 23 points to lift the UCF men's basketball team to a 73-60 victory over local rival Stetson on Saturday evening at the UCF Arena. The Golden Knights (2-0) have won 10-consecutive contests against Stetson.
Taylor was 9-of-13 from the field in the victory. Stetson (1-3) shot just 32.8 percent from the floor, compared to 49.1 for the hosts. UCF used a 9-2 run midway through the second half to pull away.
"Stetson is always a dangerous opponent," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "I was pleased that when they made their runs, we held on. It is early in the season and hopefully we can learn lessons from winning games."
After draining 15 3-pointers in its first game of the season against Rollins on Wednesday, the Golden Knights were just 1-for-9 from beyond-the-arc. However, the hosts outscored the Hatters 46-18 in the paint and held a 48-23 rebounding margin.
Both teams struggled offensively early. It took the Golden Knights 4:43 until they made their first field goal, while Stetson had a 5:32 span in which it failed to make a bucket.
UCF eventually took a 24-11 lead with 6:03 left in the half thanks to a trey from Taylor. But the Hatters then outscored the Golden Knights 17-8 before halftime, and even took a 36-35 advantage with 17:31 to play in the second half.
Stetson's momentum was quickly put to rest as Taylor and junior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach HS) notched back-to-back dunks moments later, and UCF never gave up the lead again.
Senior forward Lavell Payne (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard HS) had 10 of his 13 points in the second half for the Golden Knights. He added eight boards. In just 13 minutes of action, freshman forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview HS) recorded a game-high nine rebounds, with five coming on the offensive end.
Garfield Blair finished with 18 points for Stetson, while Kris Thomas was 4-for-8 from 3-point range for a 17-point evening.
UCF's next contest is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at home versus Bethune-Cookman. Tickets to the game with Bethune-Cookman are available by calling Ticketmaster at 407-839-3900 or by visiting ticketmaster.com.
For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF athletics.