Jan. 3, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Taveres, Fla.) totaled a game-high 26 points and freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) added 15 points as the UCF men's basketball team won its 11th-consecutive contest at the UCF Arena, defeating Sam Houston State, 86-70, Saturday evening. The Knights (9-4) improved to 7-0 at home this year.
UCF pulled away from the Bearkats (6-7) by using an 18-0 run midway through the first half. The Knights hit four triples during the spurt.
The hosts shot 35-of-42 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line during the game. Taylor went 14-of-16 at the charity stripe and Rompza made all 10 of his attempts.
"That is probably the most free throws we have shot this year. It was good that we stepped up and knocked them down," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "When people are going to get up and get physical with you, you need to get yourself to the foul line."
After taking a 33-21 edge into intermission, UCF led by as many as 21 in the second half. Sam Houston State got within 11 points with 3:19 on the clock, but Taylor answered with a 3-pointer to put the game out of reach.
Taylor scored only three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field in the first half. Junior forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla.) scored all 10 of his points in the opening 20 minutes. Sosa hit a pair of treys during the big run, and Rompza also hit a 3-pointer during the surge.
UCF forced 23 Sam Houston State turnovers, with 16 coming in the first half.
In addition to the 15 points, Rompza added six rebounds, five assists and four steals in 31 minutes. Sosa scored 13 points and had three assists in 23 minutes off of the bench.
The Knights shot 40.0 percent overall and finished the contest with a 37-27 edge on the glass.
Corey Allmond paced the Bearkats with 20 points. Sam Houston State shot 46.0 percent from the field for the game.
The Knights will conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule Tuesday, hosting Holy Cross at 7 p.m. Locally, the game will be televised live on Bright House Sports Network.
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.