UCF Knights basketball team slips in C-USA play

By Isaac Babcock
| 11:09 a.m. January 18, 2012

Photo by: Isaac Babcock - The Knights dominated Memphis early on Wednesday night, but narrowly held them off after a dramatic Keith Clanton free throw with four seconds left put them over the top.

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The Knights tripped up a little in their long run over the top of their Conference USA competition, falling to Marshall in a nail-biter that went down to the last shot of the game on Jan. 14.

But the Knights kept it interesting throughout, never behind the Thundering Herd by more than eight points and battling back to back for the lead for the final two minutes of play. Only on a missed lay-up by Marcus Jordan did the Knights finally fall short in a comeback attempt that could have kept their conference win streak alive.

Jordan had a tough night overall, shooting just 17.6 percent on the night, while collecting two rebounds and an assist. Leading the way for the Knights, Keith Clanton dropped 14 points in the basket, grabbed 8 boards, forced 5 turnovers and did it all in just 26 minutes on the court. Isaiah Sykes’ strong play continued with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Knights’ bench also made big contributions, with Tristan Spurlock picking up 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 26 minutes.

UCF played conference foe Memphis at home at press time on Wednesday, but will continue their run through their densely packed conference schedule with a game at UAB at 2 p.m. Jan. 21. The Blazers (5-11, 0-3) have had a tough time so far this season, with the worst overall and conference play records in C-USA.

After facing UAB the Knights will continue their road trip, heading to Tulsa for an 8 p.m. Jan. 25 tip-off. The Golden Hurricane (9-9, 2-2) has been perfectly even so far this season with a tied record and sitting dead center in the C-USA rankings.