Dec. 29, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Behind a game-high 34 points from senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.), the UCF men's basketball team advanced to the finals of the UCF Holiday Classic Monday evening, posting an 81-64 win over Penn at the UCF Arena. The Knights (7-4), who shot 53.6 percent overall, will meet Chicago State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the tournament title.
Taylor connected on 14-of-21 shots from the field and hit three triples in just 26 minutes. His 34 points matched a career high.
Penn fell to 1-7 with the loss. UCF and the Quakers were meeting for the first time.
The Knights, who improved to 5-0 at home this season, led by three points at halftime and pulled away by shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from 3-point range after intermission. Taylor scored 18 points after halftime.
"I thought in the second half we were able to get a little bit of a lead and not let them come back," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "We made some shots. Making shots energized our defense. I was impressed with the way Penn played, and I was impressed with the way our guys took on a challenge."
UCF led 35-32 at the break, and the Quakers got within one after Jack Eggleston scored on the team's first possession of the second half. Senior center Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) then sparked a 15-3 run for the hosts with a layup. Taylor had seven points during the spurt, which he capped at the 14:37 mark with a trey that put the Knights up 50-37.
The Knights led by as many as 22 points late in the game.
Taylor was the lone UCF player to register double-digits in scoring. Freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) totaled seven assists and seven rebounds in only 22 minutes in the winning effort.
UCF recorded 23 assists on 30 made field goals and also shot 81.3 percent at the free-throw line.
Penn shot 41.3 percent overall and 40.0 percent from deep. Eggleston paced the Quakers with 15 points.
In the first game of the day, David Holston totaled a UCF Arena and UCF Holiday Classic record 40 points to lift Chicago State to a 98-89 victory over Campbell.
Penn will now meet Campbell at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the event consolation game.
The contest was part of a six-game homestand for the Knights. After the UCF Holiday Classic, the squad will play a pair of non-league games - Sam Houston State (Jan. 3) and Holy Cross (Jan. 6) - and then open Conference USA play on Jan. 10 against national power Memphis.
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.