If only senior guard A.J. Rompza had played in the first 12 games of the UCF Men’s Basketball team’s season, the Knights (12-3, 2-0 C-USA) very well might be 15-0 right now.
In Rompza’s third game back in action after being suspended for accepting improper benefits, the team captain had his finest performance to date, nearly posting a triple-double with 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals to help lead UCF to a 81-63 rout over East Carolina (9-6, 0-2 C-USA) Saturday night at Williams Arena in Greenville, NC.
In his three games backs, Rompza is averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.7 rebounds per game. To say the least, Rompza seems to be a man on a mission, ready to lead his team to new heights in his final year as a Knight.
Paced by Rompza’s all-around game, combined with another strong performance by sophomore Isaiah Sykes, UCF was able to hold a comfortable lead for most of the contest. The Knights held a 38-31 lead at halftime, but ballooned their lead to as many as 22 points in the second half.
“This was a team victory,” UCF associate head coach Shawn Finney said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com. “I am so proud of our effort. The players really executed the game plan and did a great job in a tough environment.”
The Pirates went on a run and were able to get within nine points in the closing half, but UCF quickly erased that and rebuilt their lead to secure the victory.
UCF was able to hold a pretty dominant edge throughout the game thanks to strong shooting, solid defense and a huge advantage on the boards. The Knights shot 52 percent (35-of-67) from the field, while limiting East Carolina to just 37 percent shooting, including 30 percent from the three-point line.
The Knights also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Pirates 43-25 in the game.
Although Rompza’s stellar performance might have been the story of the game, his backcourt partner, Sykes, had a monster game. Sykes had a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
“Isaiah played very well. He was really looking to score in transition and when he plays well, it seems like our whole team plays well,” Finney said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com.
Junior forward Keith Clanton also came up big with 16 points, six boards, three blocks and two steals, while Marcus Jordan chipped in with 12 points and four rebounds.
The Knights have now won four straight games and eight of their last nine games overall.
Unlike last season, when the Knights dropped their first eight Conference-USA games after starting the season with a perfect 14-0 non-conference slate, UCF has gotten off to a 2-0 start in league play this year.
They have done this in impressive fashion, beating the 12-4 Tulane Green Wave Wednesday to start their conference schedule and now beating East Carolina on the road.
UCF will need to continue this type of play against conference foes with a tough upcoming C-USA schedule that includes the likes of Houston, Marshall and Memphis over the next two weeks.
The Knights return home Wednesday with a matchup against Houston at 7 p.m.
