Rice University
3-24, 0-14
UCF
16-12, 9-5
UCF Beats Rice, 68-60
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2008
Box Score l Box Score in PDF Format 
ORLANDO, Fla. - Lawrence Ghoram scored 23 points and Rodney Foster added 15 in the second period, but a late Rice comeback fell short as UCF topped the Owls 68-60 here Saturday.
UCF had a double-digit lead for most of the game but Rice whittled the margin down to as few as two points with less than 2:30 to play.
Foster sparked the rally, knocking down 4-of-8 three-point attempts in the second period. A Foster trey with 7:46 remaining cut the margin to single digits, 54-45. But at the other end of the floor Mike O'Donnell, one of five UCF seniors honored before the game, answered with a three-pointer.
But Rice was undeterred.
Foster would drain another triple to cut the lead back down to nine. Suleiman Braimoh would later rebound a missed Foster three and his putback made the score 57-50 with 5:09 to play. After a missed three-point attempt by UCF's Mike Battle, Ghoram hit from outside. Battle would turn the ball over on the Knights' next possession and at the other end, Braimoh would weave through traffic for a layup to cut the lead to 57-54.
O'Donnell was fouled and made one of two free throws before the Owls' Patrick Britton sank a pair from the line to make it a two-point game, 58-56 with 2:29 to play.
Following Britton's free throws a quick foul call on the Owls led to a pair of free throws by Dave Noel that stretched UCF's lead back to four.
Looking to make it a one-possession game again, Foster stumbled over the feet of one of the officials and he couldn't get back to a Bryan Beasley pass. At the other end, Jermaine Taylor canned a three-pointer and the Knights' lead went to 63-56 with 1:32 to play.
UCF would make five of their final six free throws to ice the win.
Taylor, one of four players in Conference USA to be averaging better than 20 points per game, finished with 20 against the Owls. Noel added 19 points for the Knights.
Rice, 3-24 and 0-14 in Conference USA play, closes out the regular season with a pair of home games at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy. The Owls play East Carolina on Wednesday and take on SMU Saturday afternoon.
UCF, 16-12 and 9-5, continues to look to lock down a first-round bye at the Conference USA Championship in Memphis, Tenn., later this month. UCF travels to Houston and Tulsa for its final regular-season games.
Ghoram made five of the Owls' first six baskets. His jumper at the 11:38 mark gave Rice its last lead, 10-8. From that point, the Knights went on a 16-5 run to jump out to a 29-13 lead.
Battle hit a couple three-pointers and Taylor also had a trey during the run. Rice went 1-for-10 from the field during UCF's rally in which the Knights took a double-digit lead.
