Jan. 24, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - During the opening four minutes of Saturday's contest with visiting UTEP, sophomore guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) recorded three steals. The point guard spent the entire game giving his all on the defensive end and finished with six swipes.
After the six-steal performance, Rompza now ranks fourth in the country at 2.9 steals per game. In just 19 contests this season, he has 56 steals. He will soon enter the top-10 on the UCF single-season steals list. Cory Perry (1999-00) and Sinua Phillips (1990-91) occupy the 10th spot with 64.
Last year, Rompza played in 29 games as a freshman and posted 46 steals. He has recorded at least five steals on six occasions in 2009-10.
In Conference USA play, he paces the league with 3.2 steals a contest.
Rompza and the Knights will return to action Wednesday at SMU. The squad's next home tilt is Saturday versus Tulsa at 5 p.m. at the UCF Arena.
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: The sixth-largest crowd in school history - 6,413 fans - attended the contest with the Miners. UCF is now averaging 5,531 spectators this year... Freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) totaled two swats against UTEP. In C-USA games, he is averaging 2.2 blocks, which is third in the conference.