.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
University of Houston
UCF
Houston Wins on Road Against UCF, 78-71
2/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Lanny Smith scored a season-high 25 points and handed out nine assists to lead the University of Houston men's basketball team to a 78-71 victory at the University of Central Florida Wednesday night.
The victory avenges an earlier loss to the Golden Knights earlier this season in Houston when UCF won a 66-56 decision on January 14.
In Wednesday night's game, Smith got the Cougars off to a quick start as he and his backcourt mate, Oliver Lafayette combined for 26 points and Ramon Dyer added six to give the Cougars a 37-29 halftime lead.
UCF opened the game with a 15-11 lead before Lafayette hit a jump shot from the free throw line and Smith nailed a three-point shot from the left wing to give the Cougars the lead. After Anthony Williams hit a lay-up, Smith hits another three-pointer to give Houston the lead for good, 19-17, with 10:02 left in the opening period.
After Lafayette hit one of his two free throws on Houston's next possession, Jahmar Thorpe stole the ball from Williams to set up Lafayette for another three-point shot in the left baseline corner.
Houston outscored UCF, 14-12, the rest of the half.
In the second half, Dyer hit a three-point field goal on the left wing, and Smith stole the ball from Adam Gill and chased the ball down for a lay-up to put the Cougars up 42-29 with 17 minutes left to play.
Smith also hit Houston's second three-pointer in the second period between a pair of free throws by Josh Peppers and a lay-up by Lavell Payne.
Then, the Cougars began working the ball inside to Jahmar Thorpe, Darrius Brannon and Dyer. Brannon scored his only points in the game on a dunk shot, and Dyer made another dunk to give the Cougars a 15-point lead, 49-34.
Thorpe scored Houston's next six points as he made one of his two free throws and a dunk shot before making Houston's final three-point basket of the game to give the Cougars a 55-40 lead with 11:53 remaining.
Houston led 64-49 after Chris Lawson made a pair of free throws, when UCF rallied. The Golden Knights closed to within five points, 74-69, after Dave Noel made a lay-up with 38 seconds left to play.
Sam Anderson hit four consecutive free throws to preserve Houston's victory that raised the Cougars' record to 17-6 overall and 7-3 in Conference USA play. The win also was Houston's seventh straight win, the longest winning streak since 1997-98, when the Cougars opened the season with a 7-0 record.
In addition to Smith's 25 points, Lafayette finished with 15 points, Thorpe scored 12 points and Dyer finished with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Cougars look to win their eighth straight game this Saturday when Houston plays host to Tulsa in a Conference USA game at 7:00 p.m. in Hofheinz Pavilion.
