Feb. 4, 2009
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) totaled 26 points, but it was not enough as the UCF men's basketball team saw its five-game winning streak come to an end as Houston posted a 97-69 win at the UCF Arena Wednesday. The Conference USA contest was played in front of 5,868 fans.
The Cougars (13-7, 5-3 C-USA), who shot 56.1 percent overall, never trailed during the contest. UCF fell to 15-7 overall and 5-3 in league play with the loss.
"You have to congratulate Houston. They brought the fight to us and we didn't have a mature response," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said.
Houston outscored the hosts 23-9 during the first 8:38 of the contest. The Cougars led 43-28 at the break. Aubrey Coleman recorded a game-high 30 points in 38 minutes in the winning effort.
The Knights got as close as 13 points with 16:49 remaining in the second half when Taylor hit a triple, but Houston shot 66.9 percent from the floor after intermission. The Cougars led by as many as 30 points late in the contest.
Taylor shot 10-of-21 from the field and also added seven boards in only 30 minutes. Junior forward Tony Davis (Sarasota, Fla.) recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Ten of his rebounds came on the offensive end.
The Knights grabbed 24 offensive boards and finished the game with a 41-29 edge on the glass. UCF shot 38.8 percent overall and 23.5 percent from 3-point range.
In addition to Coleman, three other Cougars totaled at least 10 points: Qa'rraan Calhoun (18), Kelvin Lewis (17) and Marcus Cousin (10).
The Knights will open a two-game road swing Saturday at East Carolina. UCF's next home game is set for Feb. 14 versus Tulsa.
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.