Spring Break
Abrams' career night leads ECU past UCF
Kellen Holtzman
Issue date: 2/10/09 Section: Sports
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"I was just happy to get the win," said Abrams, who finished shooting 10-for-12 from the field and 5-for-6 from three-point range.
ECU (12-10, 4-5) built a 19-point lead midway through the second, only to see its lead cut to nine late in the half. Abrams answered the UCF charge with a three-point dagger to give the Pirates a 75-63 lead.
After ECU stretched the lead to 17, the Golden Knights' dynamic guard, Jermaine Taylor, nailed a three to cut the lead back to 11 with 2:01 to play.
Abrams responded with another heartbreaker from long distance to silence the short-lived comeback.
Taylor, who ranks in the top-10 in the nation in scoring, exploded for 18 second-half points to finish with 24 on the night.
"You can't keep a guy like him down for long," said ECU coach Mack McCarthy of Taylor. "Twenty four [points] - I know he got big numbers … I'm not sure we could have done anymore than we did."
Abrams highlighted an 11-2 Pirate-run in the second half with two spectacular plays. The sophomore shimmied past UCF's A.J. Tyler for a reverse lay up before bringing the house down with an emphatic put-back dunk off of a missed Darrius Morrow shot.
Abrams' steady improvement is a welcome sight for the Pirates, who are in need of an athletic presence, as Daquan Joyner remains sidelined with an injury.
"We're watching him grow up right before our eyes," McCarthy said of Abrams. "He is an exceptional athlete. He had a couple of dunks tonight that were incredible and then he's the same guy who has enough finesse to step outside and go 5-for-6 from three [point range]."
Sam Hinnant's shooting display was nearly as impressive as Abrams'; the senior guard tallied 18 points, shooting 5-for-9. All of Hinnant's attempts came from beyond the arc.
"For me personally, it's a big win," said Hinnant. "I've never beaten UCF since I've been here, and beating them today was great. It gives us a lot of confidence going on the road this week and gives us two in a row at home. It gets us one step closer to our goal of having a winning season."
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