TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Ryan Bright scored all 12 points in the
second half, helping Sam Houston State hold on for a 68-63 victory
over Central Florida in the third-place game of the Fiesta Bowl
Classic on Wednesday night.
Chris Jordan had 17 points and Aaron Wade scored 13 for Sam
Houston (7-3), which had lost two straight on the heels of winning
five in a row.UCF's Justin Rose had a career-high 24 points and tied his
personal best with 10 rebounds, making two free throws with 22
seconds left to get the Golden Knights (5-4) within 67-61. Josh
Peppers added 14 points.The Bearkats put the game away with a 25-7 run that lasted more
than eight minutes of the second half. Bright, who also had nine
rebounds, scored 11 points during the surge, including a
three-point play and follow shot 47 seconds later for a 58-43 lead
with 4:48 left. Wade capped the run with a 3-pointer at the 4:09
mark, and Sam Houston led 61-44.The Bearkats had nobody in double figures in an 87-51 loss to
Arizona in the first round. Arizona faced Western Kentucky, which
rallied for a win over UCF on Monday, in the championship game of
its holiday tournament.UCF took its only lead of the game at 37-36 on a layuup by
Anthony Williams, midway through a 13-4 run to start the second
half.But Sam Houston responded with 11 unanswered points in a 3:36
span. Bright scored on a tip-in and jumper and assisted on a basket
by Wade after starting the play with a defensive rebound at the
other end.Jordan had Sam Houston's first seven points and made a 3-pointer
that gave the Bearkats their first double-digit lead, 21-11, with
7:04 left in the first half.But Rose made two layups, sank a 3-pointer in the final minute,
and the Knights got within 30-24 at halftime.
