Colleges

Bulls fail to click while playing catchup

Five scorers in double figures not enough for win

By KEITH FREEMAN, Special to the Times
Published December 19, 2006

LAS VEGAS - USF had five scorers in double figures, but what it didn't have was the lead during the second half of its 69-63 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Duel in the Desert on Monday.

The Bulls did close to 63-60 with 2:15 left in their second game of the round-robin tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center, but the Islanders made their final six free-throws during the last 1:36 and held on for their second win over the Bulls in the past two seasons.

"I felt we lost momentum during the first nine minutes of the second half, and we had to try and come back and tie it," USF coach Robert McCullum said. "It just seemed like we played from behind the entire second half. We just couldn't get anything going consistently on offense."

For the Bulls (7-2), Solomon Bozeman (15), Melvin Buckley (14), McHugh Mattis (10), Kentrell Gransberry (10 plus 10 rebounds) and Jesus Verdejo (10) scored in double digits, but they had only eight assists as a team.

"We didn't have the kind of ball movement that we like to have in the first half," McCullum said. "We only had five assists in the first half and, unfortunately, three in the second half."

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-3) had 17 assists. Kevin Menifee led with five to go with 14 points, and Josh Washington led all scorers with 21. Chris Daniels topped the Islanders with 11 rebounds.

"(Sunday) night, I thought that we gave UNLV pretty much everything we could," A&M coach Ronnie Arrow said of a loss to the Rebels. Monday, "we played as hard again. But (the Bulls) have a good team. They're going to win some games in the Big East, and we're just happy to beat them."

USF owned the biggest lead of the opening half when it scored the first six of the game on two inside shots by Gransberry that sandwiched a dunk by Mattis. After that, neither team could claim more than a three-point lead, and there were four lead changes.

Buckley's 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer allowed the Bulls to tie at 32, four seconds after the Islanders' Washington nailed his fourth 3-pointer of the first half.

"We were very fortunate to be tied at halftime given how poorly we played," McCullum said.

Up next

USF vs. UNLV, 10:30 tonight, finale of the Duel in the Desert round-robin tournament. Radio: 1250-AM

[Last modified December 19, 2006, 05:37:01]