Colleges

Defeat leaves USF watching, waiting

The USF Bulls' hopes of getting the Big East's automatic NCAA Tournament bid were quashed Sunday by Connecticut.

By Carl Adamec, Special to the Times
Published March 5, 2007

HARTFORD, Conn. - Now, they wait.

The USF Bulls' hopes of getting the Big East's automatic NCAA Tournament bid were quashed Sunday by Connecticut.

Charde Houston led four players in double figures with 19 points as the top-seeded and third-ranked Huskies defeated No. 8 seed USF 74-54 in the quarterfinals before 9,328 at the Hartford Civic Center.

Connecticut plays No. 5 seed Louisville today. The Bulls will gather in front of a television when bids are announced Sunday, hoping their 20-11 record is enough to earn an NCAA at-large bid for the second straight year.

"More this year, I think, we're going to be on pins and needles," senior forward Jessica Dickson said. "Last year we waited but we had a feeling we were going to get in. Now, I just don't know.

"We had kind of an up and down year. ... We're a great team to watch. Even though we've had some rough spots, we'd be a great representative. I think we deserve a chance."

Coach Jose Fernandez has no doubt his team will be in the 64-team field. Connecticut Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma agrees: "They are definitely in."

USF could have left the NCAA selection committee little choice with a victory Sunday. But the Huskies, 28-2 and winners of 14 straight, overcame a shaky first five minutes to take command.

After Rachael Sheats tied it at 10 for the Bulls, Connecticut had a 13-0 run as five players scored. USF cut an 18-point deficit to 36-24 at halftime, but the Huskies opened the second half with a 15-4 run to put it out of reach.

"This is the second time we've seen Connecticut in a short period of time and I think they're playing better than anyone in the country," Fernandez said. "At halftime we were down 12 and during the first half there was a stretch where we let the game get away from us. Then they came out of the locker room (for the second half) with extreme energy."

Connecticut's biggest lead was 27, which allowed Auriemma to go deep into his bench. Dickson scored 18 and ChiChi Okpaleke had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"We just need to get ready and hopefully the next game we'll be playing will be in the NCAA Tournament," Fernandez said.

UConn 74

USF 54

[Last modified March 5, 2007, 05:56:43]