Feb. 3, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Senior forward Lavell Payne (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Dillard) recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds to lift UCF to a 63-53 Conference USA victory over Tulsa on Saturday evening at the UCF Arena. The Golden Knights (16-6, 5-3 C-USA) limited Tulsa to just 30 percent shooting for the contest.
UCF led for most of the game, but the Golden Hurricane (14-7, 4-4) never went away. Tulsa got within four with two minutes to play following a pair of Charles Ramsdell free throws. The hosts responded on their next possession as Payne found sophomore guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) for a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to put the game out of reach.
"We did a lot of good things," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "I thought that was a good effort for our guys defensively. Lavell was able to get open on the interior and did a lot of damage in the first half."
Payne scored 13 points before intermission as the Golden Knights shot 56 percent from the field in the first half. Tulsa was held scoreless for over five minutes near the end of the half and UCF led 32-24 at the break.
UCF shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range for the game. The Golden Knights led 40-29 with 17 minutes to play, but the Golden Hurricane came back with a 15-4 run. A trey from Charles Ramsdell tied the game at 44 with 8:20 on the clock.
Taylor and junior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) both recorded 11 points in the victory. Noel added five boards and a team-high five assists in 30 minutes. Senior forward Josh Peppers finished with nine points and along with Payne, totaled two blocks.
The Golden Hurricane grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and had a 34-32 overall advantage on the glass. Ramsdell hit three triples and led Tulsa with 14 points. Ray Reese also canned three 3-pointers and registered 13 points off of the bench. He paced the Golden Hurricane with six rebounds.
UCF returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, facing East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. at 7 p.m. The Golden Knights' next home tilt is set for Saturday, Feb. 10 against Marshall at noon.
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