Dec. 15, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Following UCF's impressive win over cross-state foe USF on Dec. 6, the Knights were shooting under 30 percent from 3-point range for the season. As a result of the squad's struggles from deep, head coach Kirk Speraw urged the Knights to show more patience on offense.
UCF obviously got the message as the squad scored 52 points in the paint Friday in a 110-68 win over visiting Florida Tech.
Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) entered the game with the Panthers averaging nearly eight 3-point attempts per contest. He took just five in the win.
"I think we have been relying too much on our 3-point shooting. Coach has been telling us we need to get it in to the big men, let [the defense] collapse and be ready to shoot when they kick it back out to us," Taylor said. "I think we did a great job of that. They also did a good job of finishing some of those passes that we gave to them."
UCF shot 58.9 percent overall in the victory over Florida Tech. Freshman forward P.J. Gaynor (Jacksonville, Fla.) led the team in post, scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
UCF's next game is set for Saturday as the team will head north to Jacksonville to meet Florida. The Knights' next home contest is Dec. 22 against Valparaiso.
A UCF Basketball Outback Steakhouse Four-Pack is currently available for only $50 by calling the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000. The four-pack offers the best seat available at the UCF Arena for the Knights' Jan. 10 contest with national power Memphis. The package also includes tickets to UCF's Conference USA games with SMU (Jan. 28), Houston (Feb. 4) and East Carolina (March 7).
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.
Notes: Taylor recorded 31 points against Florida Tech and now ranks second in Conference USA in points per game at 21.3. UTEP's Stefon Jackson is first at 21.9... Freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) is fourth in the league in assists per game (4.6).