Nov. 20, 2006
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF will be seeking a 3-0 start when it hosts local opponent Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Tip-off at the UCF Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
The Golden Knights (2-0) are coming off of 73-60 victory over Stetson on Saturday. Jermaine Taylor has led UCF in scoring in both of its contests this season and is averaging a team-high 24.5 points. Lavell Payne is the team's top rebounder (7.5). Bethune-Cookman is 1-0 this year.
Tickets for the game are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 407-839-3900. Season tickets are also currently available by calling 407-UCF-1000.
The contest will be aired live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 THE TEAM AM in Orlando, with Marc Daniels on the call.
Series History: UCF holds a 10-7 edge in the all-time series and has claimed three-straight versus the Wildcats. Kirk Speraw is 4-1 against Bethune-Cookman. In Orlando, UCF leads the series, 7-4. The squads met 16 times from 1982-97 and rekindled the local rivalry with a contest last season. All-time, the Golden Knights are 21-18 versus Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schools.
Last Time Out Against BCC: On Nov. 29, 2005, the Golden Knights recorded a 61-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman at the UCF Arena. The Wildcats led 30-29 at halftime, but shot just 13.3 percent overall in the second half. For the game, Bethune-Cookman shot 25 percent overall and just 12.5 percent (2-of-16) from 3-point range. Jermaine Taylor paced UCF with 15 points. He hit four treys in the win. Adam Gill added 12 points for UCF. The Golden Knights connected on 52.2 percent of their field goal attempts. Sam Barber paced the Wildcats with a game-high 21 points.
About BCC: The Wildcats opened the season on Nov. 16 at home and topped Florida Tech, 67-59. The hosts shot just 31.9 percent overall for the game. Jimmy Hudson led Bethune-Cookman with 16 points. He drained four triples. The Wildcats had 22 offensive boards and held a 49-39 advantage on the glass. Head coach Clifford Reed's team returns just one starter and six letterwinners from last year's 15-15 squad.
UCF Last Time Out: Jermaine Taylor scored a game-high 23 points as the Golden Knights recorded a 73-60 victory over local rival Stetson at home on Saturday, Nov. 18. UCF dominated inside, outscoring the Hatters 46-18 in the paint and holding a 48-22 edge on the glass. UCF shot 49.1 percent from the floor, compared to just 32.8 percent for the Hatters. Lavell Payne added 13 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
Super Sophomore: Through two contests this season, Jermaine Taylor is averaging 24.5 points. He has led UCF in scoring in both of its games this year. The sophomore had a game-high 23 points in the win over Stetson on 9-of-13 shooting. He came off of the bench and played 29 minutes. Last year, Taylor came off of the bench for all 29 games and averaged 4.5 points in 12.2 minutes. His season-high a year ago was 16 points versus Houston (Feb. 15, 2005). He only connected on 17 triples in 2005-06, but already has seven this season.
Great Beginnings: The Golden Knights have won 11-straight contests in the month of November and are 19-2 in the month dating back to the 2001-02 season. UCF's last loss during the month was a 72-63 defeat at the College of Charleston on Nov. 25, 2003.
On the Glass: UCF has dominated the boards in its two contests in 2006-07. The Golden Knights are averaging 42.5 rebounds and hold a +16.5 rebounding margin. Against Stetson, UCF outrebounded the Hatters, 48-23, and grabbed 18 offensive boards.
Davis Impresses on the Boards: In only his second collegiate game, Tony Davis had a game-high nine rebounds in the win over Stetson. The freshman played just 13 minutes, but had five rebounds on the offensive end. He also totaled six points and a pair of assists. Davis is averaging five rebounds an outing. The last time that a freshman led UCF in rebounds in a game was on Dec. 18, 2002 when Will Bakanowsky had six boards at Chicago State.
Off the Bench: Thanks to Jermaine Taylor, who has come off of the bench to lead the Golden Knights in scoring in both of its games so far this season, UCF's reserves are averaging 32.5 points in 2006-07. Against Stetson, the bench accounted for 39 of UCF's 73 points. In addition to Taylor's 23 points, Tony Davis (6), Stanley Billings (5) and Chip Cartwright (5) combined for 16 points.
Replacing Rose: Justin Rose did it all for the Golden Knights as a senior last year. The shooting guard averaged 10.5 points and a team-high 5.7 boards in 2005-06. Through two contests this season, Dave Noel has been impressive while starting at the two-guard spot. The junior is averaging nine points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 33 minutes of action. In his first season with the Golden Knights last year, Noel saw time in 28 games as a reserve and averaged 11.8 minutes and 2.8 points.
National Exposure: For the second-consecutive season, a pair of UCF's regular-season games will be televised live nationally on CSTV. The squad's Jan. 27 contest at UTEP and its Feb. 21 tilt with Southern Miss in Orlando will both be shown on the network. Additionally, the Golden Knights' Conference USA matchups at UAB (Jan. 10) and versus Memphis at home on Jan. 31 will be broadcast live regionally on CSS.
This Date in UCF History: On this date in 2004, UCF defeated New Mexico State, 62-58, to claim the BP Top of the World Classic title in Fairbanks, Alaska. Gary Johnson led the Golden Knights with 15 points.
Up Next: UCF returns to action on Friday, Nov. 24, hosting Florida Tech at 7:30 p.m. UCF leads the all-time series with the Panthers, 22-2, but the teams have not met since 1988. In Orlando, UCF is 14-1 versus Florida Tech. The teams were Sunshine State Conference foes from 1981-84. The first series meeting was in 1971. On Feb. 27, 1988, Florida Tech posted a 98-83 win over the Golden Knights at the UCF Gymnasium. Marty Collier paced the hosts with 17 points in the loss.