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College basketball
USF 81, ALCORN ST. 62: Bryant, Baker each controls a half for 3-0 club.
By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 3, 2002
TAMPA -- With South Florida's inexperienced roster beyond seniors Will McDonald and Reggie Kohn, coach Seth Greenberg said he expected a different supporting player to step up in each game.
Monday, it was a new guy in each half.
Sophomore Marlyn Bryant scored 13 of his career-high 18 in the first half, and prized recruit Yusuf Baker made his first impact as a Bull in the second to finish with a double double as USF defeated Alcorn State 81-62 before 3,394 at the Sun Dome.
USF led tip-to-buzzer to improve to 3-0, while Alcorn State, playing its fifth straight road game, fell to 1-4.
"It's just like Coach Greenberg said: Different players are going to step up different nights," said McDonald, who got in foul trouble again and scored 15 in 16 minutes. "(Bryant and Baker) stepped up and played pretty good."
Bryant, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound package of tenacity and fast-twitch muscles, dominated the stat sheet in the first half, hitting three 3-pointers and notching 3 steals, 3 assists and 4 rebounds as USF took a 15-point lead. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting (4 of 5 3-pointers) with six rebounds.
"I was just shooting what was there for me," Bryant said.
"He's just a hard-playing kid," Greenberg said of Bryant, whom he typically assigns to cover the opponent's top player. "He's one of those guys you're happy is on your team. He competes hard."
Baker, a 6-8 power forward from Orlando Evans who missed much of the preseason rehabilitating his right knee after tearing an ACL, had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in 15 minutes. He had four blocks in the second half.
"He's explosive, that's for sure," Greenberg said of Baker, who played 18 minutes total in the first two games. "If Will keeps getting in foul trouble, he's going to have to grow up real quick."
Because of power forward Gerrick Morris' toe injury (Morris played 17 minutes), Baker was expecting to play a little more Monday. He said his knee is nearly 100 percent, and he's ready to fill a spot in the playing rotation.
"I just seized the opportunity and went out and played hard," Baker said. "Anything can happen if I continue to play hard and concentrate on what I'm doing."
The Bulls bolted to a 10-point advantage with their usual formula: pounding it in to McDonald and getting 3-pointers from Kohn. They scored six each as USF took a 12-2 lead.
Former Tampa Prep star Alleo Frazier, a 5-foot-6 freshman, started for Alcorn State and helped the Braves stay close with two 3-pointers, the second cutting it to 21-15.
Bryant keyed the late first-half surge that put USF up by 15. His 3-pointer with just under a minute to go made it 49-36. He then missed a backdoor layup in the waning moments, but Baker's one-hand rebound slam beat the buzzer to make it 51-36.
Alcorn State never got closer than 12 in the second half.
Jimmy Baxter had 10 points, 7 rebounds, a team-high 4 steals and 3 assists for USF. Kohn was the fourth Bull in double figures with 12 points and four assists.
Lee Cook had 24 points for Alcorn State. Frazier finished with 9 points, 2 assists and 2 steals in 29 minutes.
The Bulls host Nebraska on Thursday on ESPN2 and visit Florida on Sunday.