The UCF Men’s Basketball team returned to action after the holiday break with a 80-70 win over cross-town rival Stetson on Thursday night at the UCF arena. It was the Knights first game since December 21, when they lost at Louisiana-Lafayette.
Guards Marcus Jordan and Isaiah Sykes both had monster games, leading the way for the Knights. Sykes finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Jordan ended with 26 points and three assists.
Sykes returned to the lineup after playing just nine minutes in the loss at Louisiana- Lafayette. There was no particular reason mentioned as to why Sykes didn’t play much in that game.
Other UCF players also stepped up to carry the scoring load on Thursday. Keith Clanton scored 11 points, and Tristan Spurlock scored 13 points. This marked the third time this season where at least four UCF players reached double digits in scoring.
UCF (9-3) was on fire the entire night from the floor, making 51.8 percent of its shots during the game. The Knights led 40-29 at half, behind a solid 55.2 percent shooting percentage in the first half. UCF was in control for most of the game and once led by 18 points in the second half.
The win over Stetson (4-7) was the 12th straight win over the Hatters, who were the Knights former conference rivals when the two teams played in the Atlantic-Sun Conference.
UCF will go for its 19th straight home victory against non-conference opponents tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena. Tomorrow’s game against Rhode Island marks the return of senior point guard A.J. Rompza, who was suspended for the first half of the season due to NCAA violations.
