Nov. 18, 2008
VALPARAISO, Ind. (UCFAthletics.com) - Playing on the road in only its second game of the season, the UCF men's basketball team fell 69-52 at Valparaiso on Tuesday evening at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) totaled a game-high 18 points for UCF (1-1).
The Crusaders, who improved to 2-0 with the win, had a 30-21 advantage at intermission and then began the second half on a 12-2 run. Valpo led by as many as 23 in the second half as the hosts shot 50 percent overall after intermission.
UCF shot 30.4 percent overall and just 5-of-27 (18.5 percent) from 3-point range for the game.
"You can give a lot of credit to Valpo, they certainly came out with a lot of intensity," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "We had open looks... we had open layup opportunities. We just didn't execute. We played so antsy and fast. The guys kept working hard, but they have to be more exact and more fundamentally sound with what they do both offensively and defensively."
The Knights used a 10-0 run late in the game to get within 12 points with under four minutes to play. Taylor capped the spurt with the 3-pointer. UCF would get no closer as Jake Diebler hit a desperation triple as the shot clock expired on Valpo's next possession.
The contest began a stretch of five-consecutive games away from home for the Knights. After opening the year at home last Sunday, UCF will not play at the UCF Arena until Dec. 6.
The first half was a sloppy affair and included 24 combined fouls and 18 total turnovers. The Knights shot just 24.1 percent overall and made only 1-of-10 from deep in the opening 20 minutes. Taylor led UCF with six points before intermission.
Taylor connected on 8-of-17 shots from the floor during the contest. Freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) totaled 10 points for the Knights. Senior center Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) paced UCF with seven boards.
Valpo shot 46.3 percent overall and finished with a 48-38 edge on the glass. Urule Igbavboa totaled a double-double in the win, recording 15 points and 14 rebounds. Michael Rogers also had a double-double for the Crusaders with 10 points and 11 boards.
UCF will return to action on Saturday, playing at New Mexico. Tip-off from Albuquerque is set for 9 p.m. Eastern and the game will be broadcast on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.