Dec. 28, 2007
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - UCF junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) scored a career-high 30 points, but it was not enough as the Knights came up just short against Connecticut on Friday evening, falling 85-82 at the new UCF Arena. The contest, which featured 12 lead changes and five ties, was played in front of a school-record 6,224 fans.
The Knights (5-6) trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half, but got within three points with 11 seconds to go after two Taylor free throws. Connecticut's (9-3) Craig Austrie then hit a pair of foul shots to secure the win.
UCF was facing a BIG EAST team for the third time this season. The Knights finished the game with a 36-34 edge on the glass, but allowed the Huskies to shoot 49 percent overall and 57.1 percent from deep.
"I am proud of our kids' effort throughout the game," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "I am impressed with their (Connecticut) team and the way they shot from the perimeter... I am proud of our kids and the way they fought. We fought hard on the glass."
After Taylor got the hosts within three points with 11 seconds to play, UCF trapped Austrie in the backcourt, but senior guard Dave Noel (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach) was forced to foul.
The Huskies went up by 11 points with 8:26 left on the clock in the contest, but the Knights refused to go away. A trey from Noel sparked an 18-11 UCF run. Noel hit a pair of triples during the spurt.
Following Austrie's free throws late in the game, UCF sophomore forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview) scored inside as time expired.
Connecticut made 38 trips to the free-throw line and made 27 foul shots during the game.
UCF shot 41.5 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep. Taylor went 8-of-9 at the line as the Knights made 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) of their free-throw attempts.
O'Donnell totaled 20 points in the victory and Noel added 19 points for the Knights. Taylor paced UCF with seven rebounds.
The Huskies shot 50 percent overall in the first half and led 43-41 at the break.
Jerome Dyson led Connecticut with 23 points. Five Huskies finished with double-digits in scoring, including Jeff Adrien (16 points), who grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Connecticut posted six blocked shots, with Hasheem Thabeet recording five.
The Knights will return to action on Sunday, hosting the New Jersey Institute of Technology as part of the UCF Holiday Classic at the new UCF Arena. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. Long Island and Texas-Pan Am are also competing in the two-day event.
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