ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A 21-point effort by Keith Clanton Wednesday and a strong defensive showing pushed No. 21 Central Florida to a 71-53 victory over Furman.
Central Florida (12-0) began the evening as one of seven unbeaten teams in major college basketball. The next game for the Knights will be their Conference USA opener at home Jan. 5 against Marshall.
Clanton made 8-of-16 shots from the field and grabbed nine rebounds. The next three leading Central Florida scorers all came off the bench -- Marcus Jordan with 15, Isaiah Sykes with 12 and Tom Herzog with 10.
The Knights owned a 39-27 halftime lead, and then held Furman to just one point over the first 4:30 of the second period. Furman was held to 33 percent shooting.
Amu Saaka was the only player in double figures for the Paladins with 17 points. Colin Reddick had 13 rebounds.
Furman (8-3) had won its previous five games, a stretch that included a victory over South Carolina.
