Aug. 10, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
SAINT-LAMBERT, Quebec (UCFAthletics.com) - Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 24 points and Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) added 21 points and 13 rebounds as the UCF men's basketball team opened its Canadian tour with an 88-66 exhibition win Wednesday over the Champlain College-Saint Lambert All-Stars. The Knights, who are slated to play three games in four days in Canada, never trailed during the contest.
The all-star team consisted of professional players who played at Champlain College Saint-Lambert, which boasts one of the top prep basketball programs in Canada.
The Knights used an effective full-court press to help force 25 turnovers. UCF shot 45.7 percent overall and finished with a 52-37 edge on the glass. Three Knights finished with double figures in scoring as Isaiah Sykes (Detroit, Mich.) added 10 points.
UCF recorded 20 assists on 37 made field goals. A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) dished out a game-high seven assists in the win.
"I thought our guys did a great job," UCF head coach Donnie Jones said. "We were competing against a very big, physical team. Our goal is to get 20 assists per game. That was excellent. Our guys really played hard despite the long travel day. They played with great energy and I was pleased with the effort."
The contest was played in front of a capacity crowd of over 500 spectators in a cramped gym that did not have air conditioning.
UCF led 45-30 at the break after its press helped force 14 turnovers. The Knights opened the second half on a 14-6 run as Clanton scored nine points during the spurt.
Jordan shot 9-of-13 from the field and made 5-of-8 shots from 3-point range. Clanton made 10-of-19 of his field-goal attempts. UCF totaled seven swats during the game, and registered 56 of its 88 points in the paint.
Max Boudreau led the all-star squad with 13 points on 7-of-10 shooting at the free-throw line.
The game concluded a long day for the Knights. The team left campus at 5 a.m. Tuesday, and had to endure several flight issues before finally landing in Montreal around 2:30 p.m.
UCF will return to action Thursday at Carleton University. Tipoff in Ottawa is set for 7 p.m. The Ravens have won seven of the last nine Canadian national championships. The Knights will conclude their trip Saturday with an evening contest at McGill University.