Baxter regains his scoring touch as Bulls stay perfect
By ROB BRANNON
Published November 30, 2003
TAMPA - What a way to end a slump.
Jimmy Baxter, South Florida's top offensive weapon who was held scoreless against Valparaiso on Tuesday, found the bottom of the net early and often against Wright State Saturday. He led the Bulls (3-0) with 22 points in a 74-59 victory before a sparse Sun Dome crowd of 2,703.
"We certainly expected he would bounce back," USF coach Robert McCullum said.
"With good players, you don't have to tell them they're playing poorly. ... Good players can't wait to get back out there."
Baxter made it clear almost immediately that Saturday's game would not be a repeat performance. He opened the scoring 1:34 in by dropping in a soft jump shot.
Baxter scored 14 in the first half on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a dunk and a last-second 3-pointer that gave the Bulls an eight-point halftime lead.
"I'm not going to say it was relief," Baxter said of his first-half performance. "I just want to win. If I score, I score. If I don't and we win, it doesn't matter. Some days are just going to be like that."
Maybe the only thing that could overshadow Baxter's performance was the play of the South Florida's defense. The Bulls held Wright State to 31.7 percent shooting from the field and held a team to fewer than 60 points for the first time this season.
The Bulls were led by senior center Gerrick Morris. On top of his eight points, Morris recorded a defensive double double with 11 rebounds and 10 blocks, one shy of the school record that he owns.
"This guy is a beast," Baxter said. "He is blocking everything."
"Even when he didn't block a shot, just his presence affected (the Raiders offense)," McCullum said.
Morris, like Baxter, bounced back from a shaky performance against Valparaiso. In that game he had one rebound and one block.
"I came out tonight and tried to be more aggressive," Morris said.
South Florida never trailed. The Bulls traded baskets with Wright State in the early going before a 6-2 run created separation and allowed for a 30-22 halftime advantage.
In the second half, the Bulls' jump shots began to fall over Wright State's tight 2-3 zone. USF shot 53.8 percent from the field after intermission, slowly pulling away from the Raiders and cruising to a stress-free victory.
"As time passed we got better (handling the zone)," McCullum said. "In the second half we showed more patience and as a result had better shots."
South Florida's performance wasn't completely solid. The Bulls committed 18 turnovers, making it the third game in a row with more than 15. The team is turning the ball over more than four times more often than its opponents.
"That's really taken away from our offensive production," McCullum said.
Saturday's game was not without its drama. Junior forward Terrence Leather, who averaged 10.5 points and eight rebounds in 19.5 minutes in the first two games, did not play until 16:41 was left in the second half. He finished with seven points and six rebounds. McCullum said that Leather showed up late to the game and that the penalty will not carry over into the next game.
Leather's benching left South Florida with seven players. Freshman forward Sam Barber missed the game for personal reasons, and junior center Brandon Brigman was held out with an injury. McCullum said he is "questionable at best" for the Bulls this week.
The Bulls take their perfect record to Providence, a team returning all its starters. The game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday pits USF against a future conference rival and gives the team a taste of life in the Big East.
