ORLANDO, Fla. —
Technically, the Georgia Southwestern men's basketball team will continue to hold its 1-0 advantage in the all-time series against the University of Central Florida - at least in the GSW record books - despite the Knights' 65-50 win on Tuesday night in the UCF Arena.
UCF improved its record to 19-9 this season. For the Hurricanes, the game counts as an exhibition according to new NCAA rules regarding Division I versus Division II games during the regular season. So GSW's record stands at 12-13.
The Hurricanes kept the game close in the first half against their Division I foe Tuesday. In fact, it took Calvin Newell's 3-point basket in the closing seconds of the period to give UCF a little breathing room at the break. UCF led 23-16 at halftime.
The Knights utilized a 17-0 run early in the second half to open up a comfortable advantage and led by a margin in the upper-teens for most of the stretch run.
GSW had to rely on solid defense as its shooters struggled most of the night. The Hurricanes connected on 15 of 55 shots (27.3 percent). UCF entered the game averaging 46.2 percent shooting, but was held to 36.7.
The Hurricanes were effective from the charity stripe, knocking down 17 of 22 attempts (77.3 percent).
Daryl Davis led Southwestern with 16 points and eight rebounds. Matt Shaw added 13 points and Alan Arnett chipped in 10.
Kasey Wilson finished with a game-high 20 points to lead UCF. Wilson connected on 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Tristan Spurlock scored 13 and Isaiah Sykes, the Knights' leading scorer coming into the game, finished with 11.
Sykes showed why he is Conference USA's leading defender as he picked up nine steals against the Hurricanes. Keith Clanton, the fifth-ranked rebounder in C-USA, pulled down a game-high 12 boards.
The Hurricanes wrap up the regular season on Saturday when they host North Georgia at 7:30 p.m.
Local Sports
GSW Hurricanes pass through Central Florida
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