Jan. 15, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - On Saturday, UCF established a new school single-game attendance record for the fourth time in its inaugural campaign at the new UCF Arena as 7,097 fans attended the Knights' contest with Tulsa. UCF is averaging 4,856 fans in 2007-08.
The fans who were at the new UCF Arena on Saturday saw the Knights record a thrilling 97-91 thriple-overtime win over the Golden Hurricane.
Prior to Saturday, the largest attendance in program history was recorded just last month when 6,224 spectators watched the Knights host traditional power Connecticut on Dec. 28.
The attendance for the Tulsa game was bolstered by a large student turnout, one that UCF head coach Kirk Speraw called the largest in his 15 years at the school.
Saturday marked the introduction of the Knightmare, a name that UCF's sports marketing staff has coined for the student section. Prior to the game, students received black Knightmare t-shirts courtesy of Coca-Cola Zero. Students are encouraged to wear the shirts to each home game.
At the end of regulation and in the overtime periods, the crowd, especially the student section had a large impact on the game according to UCF junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares).
"It was loud during the game, so there were times that I could not hear anything," he said. "I heard the other team talking about (how) they couldn't hear and had to speak up louder. The crowd is as big of a part of the game as we are. We feed off of their energy."
UCF's next contest is Saturday at East Carolina. Following the game with the Pirates, the Knights will host UTEP on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Tip-off for the matchup with the Miners is set for 7 p.m.
With seven home Conference USA contests remaining for the Knights, the UCF Athletics Association is offering a pair of ticket deals. The C-USA Pack includes tickets to all seven of the league games for $105.
The 3-Point Pack provides fans with tickets to games against UAB (Jan. 30), Houston (Feb. 2) and Rice (March 1) for $39. That package also includes a ticket to the UCF women's game versus East Carolina prior to the men's contest on Feb. 2.
Call 407-UCF-1000 to learn more about the ticket packages.
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: When Taylor was named the C-USA Player of the Week on Monday, it marked his second conference honor of the season. He became the first UCF player to garner multiple league player of the week honors in the same year since Brad Traina was recognized twice by the Atlantic Sun in 1998-99... The Knights are scheduled to practice at the new UCF Arena on Tuesday afternoon.