ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Keith Clanton scored 16 points and A.J. Rompza added 10 points and five assists to lift Central Florida to a 64-55 win over East Carolina.
The Knights (19-7, 8-4 Conference USA) got 10 points from Marcus Jordan to win for the fourth time in their last five games.
Darrius Morrow led East Carolina (12-13, 3-9) with 15 points. Miguel Paul added 10 points and eight assists for the Pirates.
Clanton had 10 points as UCF built a 33-25 halftime lead, but the Knights came out cold to start the second half and East Carolina drew even at 35-35 on a 3-pointer by Shamarr Bowden with 14:49 left in the game.
UCF responded with a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers from Jordan and Rompza. The Knights successfully nursed the lead to the finish line, despite hitting only 8 of 14 free throw attempts in the final two minutes.
