Nov. 26, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF concluded one of the toughest stretches in school history yesterday, posting a 70-59 win over Penn State to conclude the Old Spice Classic in nearby Lake Buena Vista. The Knights (3-2) played three contests in four days against top competition at the eight-team event.
Prior to facing Penn State, UCF met No. 19 Villanova and No. 18 Kansas State. Villanova recorded a 76-68 victory versus the Knights and Kansas State held on for a 73-71 win in overtime against head coach Kirk Speraw's squad.
UCF played consecutive games against programs from three of the nation's top conferences - the BIG EAST, Big 12 and Big Ten. Speraw feels that the competition at the Old Spice Classic should help his squad later in the season.
"This has been a huge test for our team," he said. "We played two top 20 teams in the country [down] to the wire. We have to come out of here with some confidence that we can compete against those types of teams."
UCF's win over Penn State served as the program's first victory over a Big Ten squad.
The Knights will not have too much time to rest prior to their next game. On Wednesday, the team hosts Presbyterian the new UCF Arena. The game will begin around 7:30 p.m., following the UCF women's game with Bethune-Cookman.
Season tickets for UCF home games are available by calling 407-UCF-1000. Single-game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the UCF box office at Bright House Networks Stadium.
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.
Notes: The attendance for UCF's game with Villanova at the Old Spice Classic on Thursday was a tournament record 3,457. The attendance was also the largest crowd for any event at the Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports. The venue opened in 1997.