Nov. 23, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UCFAthletics.com) - Redshirt freshman guard Chris Baez (Kissimmee, Fla.) hit a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to give the UCF men's basketball team a 72-71 victory at New Mexico on Saturday at The Pit. The victory snapped a 33-game home non-conference winning streak for the Lobos.
Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) scored 18 points in the victory for the Knights (2-1), who overcame a six-point deficit in the final minute. Taylor found Baez for the game-winning three. After the basket, New Mexico's (2-2) Dairese Gray missed a triple at the buzzer.
Down 70-64 with 35 seconds to play, Taylor drained a 3-pointer to get UCF within three. On the ensuing possession, the Lobos' Jonathan Wills threw the ball away in the back court and Taylor scooped it and headed to the basket for a slam dunk.
The Knights then fouled Phillip McDonald, who made one of two foul shots to push the New Mexico edge to 71-69 with 20 seconds to go.
New Mexico's last home non-league loss came on Dec. 22, 2004, against Wake Forest.
"This is one of the most memorable wins in school history. This is finally a game where we made a game-winning shot," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "It was a total team effort. There were some staggered screens at the end and Jermaine did a great job of driving to the basket and finding Chris Baez who made a big shot. This will go down as one of the most memorable wins that we have ever had."
Baez finished with 12 points in the win. The Knights shot 47.1 percent overall and 45.0 percent from deep.
The Lobos were up by as many as nine points in the second half. The hosts had a 36-32 edge the break.
New Mexico led by eight with 1:05 to go in the opening half, but junior forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla.) got UCF within four at the half. He hit a long jumper with just under a minute to play and then scored inside off a feed from freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) just before time expired.
The contest was part of the Cancun Challenge. The Knights' will continue the event next weekend with a pair of games in Mexico.
Behind sophomore forward A.J. Tyler (Palm Harbor, Fla.), who made all three of his field goal attempts from deep before intermission, the Knights shot 45.8 percent overall in the first half. UCF recorded 10 assists on 10 baskets during the period. The Lobos began the game 5-of-17 from the field, but ended the half by making five of their last seven attempts.
Taylor scored just two points in the first half.
For the game, UCF totaled 18 assists on 24 field goals. The Knights' bench accounted for 26 points.
Gary paced New Mexico with 20 points. He made 10-of-13 at the free-throw line. The Lobos shot 45.5 percent overall and 33.3 percent from deep.
UCF will return to action Wednesday, playing at Ole Miss. The contest will be aired live on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. Eastern.
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.