Nov. 16, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) scored 20 points to lift the UCF men's basketball team to a 78-64 victory over Norfolk State on Friday evening at the new UCF Arena. The contest, UCF's (2-0) second in the new facility, was played in front of a school-record 5,277 fans.
The Knights raced out to a 13-2 advantage to start the contest and led for the entire game. Norfolk State fell to 1-2 with the loss.
The hosts shot 47.5 percent overall for the game and 45.5 percent from 3-point range. Taylor connected on four treys and also grabbed seven boards.
"It was a good hard-fought game," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "They (Norfolk State) are a good team. It was a game that we can learn and build on."
Taylor scored 14 points in the opening half as the Knights took a 41-33 lead into intermission.
Senior guard Mike Battle (Waldorf, Md./Southern Maryland Christian) helped the hosts build a 20-point edge midway through the second half as he hit a pair of triples during a 12-2 UCF run. His triple at the 11:05 mark gave the Knights a 64-44 advantage.
Senior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) finished with 14 points and six rebounds in the win. In 32 minutes off of the bench, senior guard Chip Cartwright (Houston, Texas/Phillis Wheatley) scored 11 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
The Knights finished the game with a 43-31 edge on the glass. Junior Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) grabbed 10 rebounds for the hosts, with four coming on the offensive end.
Corey Lyons paced the Spartans with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor. Kevin Worsley totaled a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for Norfolk State. The team shot 39.3 percent overall in the losing effort.
Starting Thursday, UCF will begin play at the Old Spice Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports in nearby Lake Buena Vista. The Knights will open the eight-team tournament against No. 23 Villanova on Thanksgiving Day. The 7 p.m. contest will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
On Friday, Speraw's squad will play either George Mason or No. 22 Kansas State. No. 21 NC State, Penn State, Rider and South Carolina are also competing in the tournament, which will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 25.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.