News and notes for Feb. 2

Men's Basketball:

UCF hoops beats Palm Beach Atlantic, prepares for SMU

Following consecutive losses last week the UCF Knights (16-6) easily handled Palm Beach Atlantic (4-17) Monday night at the UCF Arena. Marcus Jordan nailed five 3-pointers and totaled 17 points to lead the Knights. Freshman forward Kasey Wilson scored a career-high 15 points.

UCF did not have a Conference USA contest schedule Wednesday, so the Knights will have a few valuable days off before kicking off the final eight-game stretch of league play, starting on the road with SMU on Saturday. UCF, still hopeful for an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, is currently a game and a half back of league-leading Southern Miss in the standings.

"The focus will be [on improving ourselves] for Wednesday and Thursday, and then Friday we'll start to focus on SMU," coach Donnie Jones said. "We've got two good days to really focus on some things we need to adjust and improve."

Track & Field:

Knights reach new heights, ranked No. 5

The UCF track and field team has earned its highest ranking in school history. Previously, UCF had been No. 6, but in Tuesday's rankings the Knights climbed into the top 5, overtaking Texas. The Knights have had 14 performances so far this season (from 11 athletes) that rank among the top 50 nationwide (four in the top 10). Ahead of UCF are Oregon, LSU, Arkansas and Clemson. Southern Miss is the only other program representing Conference USA in the top-25 rankings.

The Knights travel to New York City on Friday and Saturday to take part in the New Balance Invitational.

Rogers named to Stopper of the Year watch list

Junior lefty Joe Rogers was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year watch list last week. Rogers is one of 45 players who was recognized in the award's initial watch list. This is second consecutive year Rogers has started the season on the list, which is awarded to the best relief pitcher in Division I baseball. Last season, Rogers had nine saves to go along with a 4.79 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. Rogers finished the season with a 4-2 record.

Knights defeat Jacksonville, 6-1, pick up first win

UCF picked up its first victory of the spring season last Saturday when the Knights defeated Jacksonville at the UCF Tennis Complex, 6-1. To start the day, UCF took two of three doubles matches and then saw that good fortune carry over to singles play, where the Knights swept Jacksonville.

"I thought the guys picked each other up well today in doubles," head coach Bobby Cashman said in a release. "Picking up the doubles point was our Achilles heel last year so it was good for us to get out and win the point with a start like that today."

Baseball:

No luck in Waco, UCF falls to 1-3

Participating in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Waco, Texas, the Knights could not overcome No.73 UT Arlington on Sunday, falling 5-2. Alexis Rodriguez and Taylor Dubins were able to pick up victories in their singles matches. The Knights return home on Friday to host East Carolina at 2 p.m.