Post-Game Notes
March 08, 2006 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2006
Down 5-2 at the out set, UCF used a 20-2 run to take an early 22-7 lead. The run was fueled by Memphis native Josh Peppers who scored 12 of the Golden Knights' first 22 points. Peppers finished the game with a career-high 25 points to lead all scorers.
UCF (14-14), led by a 17-point first half effort from Peppers, went on to take a 42-16 lead into halftime. The 26-point halftime differential was East Carolina's largest halftime deficit of the season and UCF's largest halftime lead.
East Carolina's Corey Rouse recorded an impressive double-double with a team-high 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
UCF limited ECU to only 19.2% shooting in the first half (5-26), while connecting on 50% of its field goals (15-30). For the game ECU shot 29.4% to UCF's 44.9%.
The Golden Knights blocked nine shots in the game, just one block short of the tournament record of 10 set by Cincinnati in 1998. UCF's Adam Gill recorded four of those blocks.
With the win, UCF advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 4 seed Houston on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.
UCF, playing in its first season as a member of Conference USA, won the 2004 and 2005 Atlantic Sun Tournament Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament both seasons. The Golden Knights are currently on a seven game conference tournament winning streak.
East Carolina finishes the season with an overall record of 8-20.
