Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Central Florida 77, Stetson 58
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 7, 2013
Where: CFE Federal Credit Union Arena, Orlando, Florida
Officials: # Rick Crawford, # Jonathan Sterling, # Bart Lenox
Attendance: 4203

Central Florida 77, Stetson 58: Tristan Spurlock finished with a game-high 21 points as the host Knights used a key second-half run to hold off the Hatters.

Isaiah Sykes added 17 points and Calvin Newell chipped in with 13 along with three steals for Central Florida (4-3), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Brandon Goodwin contributed 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench for the Knights, who shot 57.1 percent for the game and outrebounded Stetson 41-24.

Brian Pegg totaled 13 points as the leading scorer for Stetson (1-10), which shot a mere 11-of-22 from the free-throw line. Aaron Graham and Raymone Andrews each collected 12 points for the Hatters, who saw leading scorer Willie Green finish with just four points.

Central Florida built a 39-34 lead at the half, shooting 60.9 percent, led by 12 points from Spurlock and 11 from Newell, who also dished out three first-half assists and plucked away three steals. The Knights had a hard time distancing themselves as the Hatters had several open looks and layups in the opening 20 minutes, enabling them to remain within striking distance.

After the break, Stetson kept the deficit within single digits until 14 unanswered points, led by four apiece from Sykes and Goodwin, extended Central Florida's lead to 61-44 with 9:40 to go. The Knights cruised from there, never allowing the Hatters closer than 12 points down the stretch, putting the exclamation point on the win with a 3-pointer from Sykes and a Goodwin layup in the final minute.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Central Florida won its 14th consecutive game over Stetson, improving to 25-15 all-time in the series. ... The Hatters have won just two of their last 14 games dating back to last season. ... Sykes has averaged 17.7 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his last three games against Stetson.
Top Game Performances
 
Stetson   Central Florida
Brian Pegg 13 Scoring Tristan Spurlock 21
Raymone Andrews 3 Assists Matt Williams 6
Brian Pegg 5 Rebounds Brandon Goodwin 11
Raymone Andrews 5 Free Throws Made Brandon Goodwin 7
Raymone Andrews 2 Steals Calvin Newell 3
Kyle Sikora 1 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Stetson 58 40.8 7-22 11-22 12 19 2 7 10
Central Florida 77 57.1 5-16 16-29 18 38 0 8 18