UCF
Bearkats edge Central Florida 60-58 in overtime
1/5/2008 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE -- Jeremy Thomas scored 11 points including two free throws with one second left to play in overtime to ice the game as Sam Houston State defeated Central Florida 60-58 in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum.
In a contest that was tied five times and with eight lead changes, Mike O'Donnell scored two free throws with 1:14 in regulation to force overtime. The game was tied 50-50 at the end of 40 minutes.
Kendrick Zonderman missed a dunk for Central Florida with 13 seconds in regulation.
Shamir McDaniel hit a three point basket in the first minute of overtime to give Sam Houston a 53-50. The Bearkats never trailed again.
McDaniel and Thomas each led Sam Houston State with 11 points. Jermaine Taylor scored 22 points for UCF to lead all players in points.
Sam Houston State (12-1) extended its non-conference home court winning streak to 44 games, the second longest such streak in the nation behind Duke's 57 game streak.
“We knew it would be a tough ballgame,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “UCF is really well coached. Kirk (Speraw) does a really good job with his staff and players. (Jermaine) Taylor is a heck of a player who has been averaging 24 points a game over the last couple of games, and he was the high scorer today with 22.
“They have a nice team and we were fortunate to hang on.”
The Kats grabbed a 50-46 with 2:06 remaining in the second half when senior guard Shamir McDaniel converted a three-point play. But the Knights (7-7) came storming back to tie the game at 50 after Mike O'Donnell knocked down a pair of free throws with just over a minute left.
SHSU blew a chance to regain the lead, giving the ball back to UCF on a wild shot by senior forward Ryan Bright. The Knights then looked like they were going to take the lead with 21 seconds to go when center Kenrick Zondervan was left all alone underneath the basket.
The 6-9 junior from Holland had a shot at an easy dunk, but Gardiner quickly closed the gap and came up with the play of the game when he swatted the ball away.
“It was supposed to be a double team, but (Zondervan) kind of flared back under the basket,” Gardiner said of his game-saving block. “I stayed up too long and he was wide open underneath the basket. I knew I needed to block or foul him. I was just going for the ball and it turned out it was a blocked shot.
“You just have to keep hustling.”
The Kats failed to get a good look following the block and turned the ball over with 1.9 seconds on the clock and UCF called a timeout. But the inbound pass was stolen at midcourt by SHSU's Ashton Mitchell, who just missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
The Bearkats opened overtime with a huge 3-pointer by McDaniel to go up 53-50. UCF's Dave Noel cut the lead to two with a layup with 3:14 to go in overtime, but junior transfer Ryan Bennett answered with another 3 on SHSU's next possession to push the advantage back to four.
Taylor made it a one-point game with 2:35 left thanks to a 3, but Thomas went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute to seal it.
The game was similar to SHSU's only defeat of the season, a 79-78 overtime loss at San Diego State on Dec. 28. In that game, the Bearkats had a chance to ice it at the free throw line only to miss four free throws in the final 23 seconds of regulation.
San Diego State tipped in a basket with one second left to send the game into overtime.
On Saturday, SHSU shot a dismal 12-of-21 from the charity stripe, but Thomas, who scored a team-high 11 points, made sure what occurred in San Diego did not happen again.
“During the game I had flashbacks and all I could see was San Diego State all over again,” Thomas said. “I was just thinking what we could do differently down the stretch. I felt that since I was a senior, I needed to step up for my team and try to do something that would change the tide.
“I wanted to knock those free throws down for the guys because they always work so hard for me. I wanted to do something to give back to them.”
The Bearkats closed nonconference play with their best record since moving up to the NCAA Division I level despite shooting only 39 percent from the field and being outrebounded 41-33.
The big difference was that SHSU took better care of the basketball with only 13 turnovers as opposed to 17 by UCF. The Bearkats also took advantage by outscoring the Knights 22-14 off the miscues.
McDaniel matched Thomas with 11 points in the victory. Bright just missed out on a double-double with nine points and nine boards. Bennett had eight points, and DeLuis Ramirez scored six.
Mitchell, who had five assists, provided the Bearkats with a huge spark in the first half by scoring all five of his points in a row to help SHSU overcome a nine-point deficit to take a 27-25 lead into the break. Gardiner added five points and three blocks despite being in foul trouble for most of the second half.
“We talked about fighting and battling every possession because we knew it was going to be a single-digit game because that is a good team they have,” Marlin added. “They are solid and we didn't shoot free throws well, we missed assignments defensively and we missed assignments offensively.
“But to overcome all that and win is just a tribute to our seniors. Ryan Bright didn't have his best game, Shamir didn't have his best game and Jeremy didn't have his best game ? John Gardiner ? but they hung in there and pulled it out.”
The Bearkats open SLC play Wednesday when they host Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. -- SHSU TICKET INFORMATION
