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Tuesday, December 19
San Juan, Puerto Rico
3:00 PM
University of Utah
61
at
67
UCF (San Juan Shootout)
Utah's Comeback Falls Short Against Central Florida
12/19/2006 12:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2006
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Just when it looked like the Runnin' Utes were going to recover from a forgetful first half, Central Florida's Josh Peppers started knocking down shots prolifically.
The Golden Knights' senior forward knocked down four 3-pointers in the second half and scored a game-high 26 points, leading UCF (7-1) to a 67-61 win over Utah (4-6) Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the San Juan Shootout.
Utah faces the Virginia in a consolation bracket game on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Mountain Time.
Luke Nevill led the Utes with 20 points. Johnnie Bryant made 3-of-8 3-pointers--but shot just 4-for-12 overall--while scoring 15 points. Both Nevill and Bryant collected a game-high eight rebounds.
The Runnin' Utes trailed 28-15 at halftime after committing 14 turnovers and shooting just 25 percent from the field in the first half.
However, Utah came out with a sense of urgency to start the second half and clawed its way back into the game. The Utes outscored Central Florida 22-12 over the next 11 and half minutes and trimmed the lead to 40-37.
Nevill and Bryant came up big during Utah's early second-half surge. Bryant knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, while Nevill converted all four free throws and finished off the run with a slam dunk.
Then Peppers, who had made only nine shots from beyond the arc coming into the game, caught fire.
After a 3-pointer by Lawrence Borha at the 6:10 mark brought the Utes within two points at 46-44, Peppers made a jumper, converted two free throws, and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers over the next two and a half minutes. That pushed Central Florida's lead back to 56-49 with just under four minutes to play.
Trailing by nine with 2:21 left, the Utes made another push. Two more free throws by Nevill and a 3-pointer from Shaun Green closed the gap to 62-58. But, Peppers nailed another 3-pointer to put Central Florida on top by seven with just 31 seconds left.
After an abysmal first half, the Utes shot 55 percent from the field, made 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc and committed just one turnover in the second half. Utah also shot 85 percent from the free throw line and had a 32-19 edge on the boards for the game.
But, their slow start and inability to get key defensive stops late gave the Runnin' Utes their fifth loss by six points or less this season.
"Until our mindset changes defensively, this is going to continue to be a problem for us," said Ute head coach Ray Giacoletti. "They (Central Florida) wanted it more. We need to get tougher. I wish I had the magic words to make that happen."
Players Mentioned
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