ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) scored a game-high 22 points as the UCF men's basketball team eased to an 80-53 win over Presbyterian at the new UCF Arena on Wednesday evening. The Knights (4-2), who are 3-0 at the new facility, shot 60 percent overall for the contest.
UCF led 49-37 at halftime and limited Presbyterian (0-8) to just 16 points in the second half.
Taylor scored 18 points in the opening half. For the contest, he made four 3-pointers and was 9-of-12 from the field. Eleven of the 12 Knights who played on Wednesday scored at least two points.
"I was pleased with our effort tonight. We played very well defensively," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "We had good ball movement and did a good job of sharing the ball."
UCF opened the second half on a 22-10 run. Taylor capped the spurt with a dunk at the 7:37 mark that gave the hosts a 71-44 edge. The Knights limited the Blue Hose to just five field goals and 17.9 percent shooting after intermission.
Three Knights finished with double-figures in scoring as sophomore forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview) matched his career high with 14 points and junior forward Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) totaled 13 points.
Senior guard Chip Cartwright (Houston, Texas/Phillis Wheatley) recorded eight assists in the win as the Knights finished the contest with a season-best 22 assists.
UCF was playing its fourth game in six days.
The Knights forced 18 Presbyterian turnovers. Bryan Bostic led the Blue Hose with 11 points and Josh Johnson chipped in with 10 points in the losing effort. Presbyterian shot 37 percent overall.
UCF returns to the hardwood on Saturday, heading across the state to play USF in Tampa. Tip-off at the Sun Dome is slated for 7 p.m.
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