Feb. 14, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) hit a jumper in the lane with less than a second remaining to give the UCF men's basketball team a 74-72 comeback victory over Tulsa on Saturday at the UCF Arena. The Knights (16-9, 6-5 Conference USA), trailed by 17 points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, but rallied as senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) totaled 22 of his game-high 35 points after intermission.
After Rompza made one of two free throws to give UCF a 72-69 edge, Tulsa's (17-9, 7-4 C-USA) Glenn Andrews nailed a triple to tie the game with 13 seconds left. After UCF head coach Kirk Speraw called a timeout, Rompza received the ball at midcourt and drove into the lane where he hit the game-winning shot.
"We went through a stretch in the second half where we turned the ball over. We dug ourselves a huge hole," Speraw said. "We showed a lot of heart; a lot of character. I am very proud of our effort and determination coming down the stretch. It was a very good basketball game. It was a good win for our team."
In the first half, Taylor became UCF's all-time leading scorer at the Division I level, passing Ken Leeks (1988-92). Taylor has recorded 1,791 points during his time at UCF. The program joined the D-I ranks in 1984.
After Tulsa went up 56-39 with 10:36 to play, Taylor guided the Knights back as the team posted a 32-11 run. He nailed three 3-pointers and scored 16 points during the run. UCF pressed the Golden Hurricane during the spurt and forced four turnovers, mostly in the backcourt.
Taylor's layup at the 2:48 mark cut the Golden Hurricane advantage to 67-65. After Andrews missed a trey on the ensuing possession, senior center Kenrick Zondervan (Hoofddorp, Holland) made two foul shots to knot the game at 67.
Following another UCF defensive stop, Zondervan went to the line and made both free throws, giving the hosts their first edge since the 15:12 mark of the opening half. Zondervan recorded 18 points in the win.
In the second half, the Knights shot 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) at the charity stripe.
After missing UCF's previous two games due to an injury, Rompza did not start, but still logged 31 minutes. He finished with five points, four boards, three assists and a pair of steals.
Tulsa led 35-31 at halftime after Justin Hurtt hit a 3-pointer with one second to go in the period.
Taylor shot 10-of-21 from the field and made 5-of-11 from 3-point range for the game. The All-America candidate also went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line. Zondervan was 5-of-8 from the field and made 8-of-12 free-throw tries.
UCF shot 45.5 percent overall for the game and 77.1 percent at the line.
Hurtt paced Tulsa with 18 points. Jerome Jordan added 16 points in the losing effort. The Golden Hurricane shot 45.8 percent overall.
UCF will return to action Saturday, Feb. 21, facing host Houston. Tip-off from Texas is set for 8 p.m. Eastern.
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