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Marquette overcomes 16-point deficit and Bulls' first home loss hurts conference hopes.
By ROGER MILLS
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 25, 2000
TAMPA -- When you have a team down by 16 points, it's not a wise thing show boat, pump your chest, stand at the top of the key and gyrate.
What you want to do is keep playing hard and finish the rout.
The Bulls learned that painful lesson Thursday night against Marquette in a crucial Conference USA game.
Ahead 47-31 four minutes into the second half, South Florida saw its lead slip away gradually behind outside shooting from Marquette guard Brian Wardle.
Wardle, who scored a game-high 31, including 19 in the second half, and some determined defense at the end allowed Marquette to pull off a remarkable 61-60 come-from-behind win before 6,322 at the Sun Dome.
USF, 11-1 at home, jeopardized their lead at the top of the National Division in C-USA.
Behind some blistering shooting from outside, the Golden Eagles chipped away through the second half.
Brian Wardle hit four three-pointers and scored 14 points in a 17-7 Marquette run that silenced the rowdy Sun Dome crowd after USF opened its big lead.
Wardle hit three free throws with 4:31 left to tie the score at 58 and seconds later USF sophomore B.B. Waldon fouled out bulldozing his way to the basket.
A three-pointer by point guard Cordell Henry with 2:24 left moved Marquette ahead and sealed the win.
A furious start was what the Bulls were looking for and the Golden Eagles obliged. Marquette seemed confused by USF's half-court press and threw the ball away a number of times. And when it did find a man, it usually was someone in home white.
The Golden Eagles shot 40.7 from the field but committed 12 turnovers by the half.
Down 13-8 after about six minutes, the Bulls went on an 11-0 run jump started by three-pointer from Cedric Smith and punctuated by a putback by Artha Reeves.
The tip-in came on a missed break away layup by Jackson who suffered a slight right ankle sprain when he landed badly. A hush came over the crowd as the Bulls leading scorer lay along the visitors baseline clutching his ankle.
Jackson, already forced into the starting role with the ankle injury to Chonsey Asbury, limped off and was treated rapidly at the end of the Bulls' bench before limping back at the next dead ball.
Clearly, he was fine.
Jackson scored six points, including two dunks, as part of a 12-3 run that helped the Bulls open their biggest lead of the half (33-20). He finished the half with 15 points in 19 minutes. Cedric Smith and Scott Johnson each had two three-pointers in the opening half.
Thanks in part to two turnovers by Reggie Kohn, Marquette closed the half on a 9-4 run and were only down by eight (39-31) at the break.
BULLS BITS: Regular starter Asbury missed Thursday's game with a sprained ankle, sustained early in the second half of the Bulls' 81-74 win over Houston on Saturday. He is listed as day-to-day. Asbury had started in 19 of the 23 games he appeared in and is averaging 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The game was nationally televised on ESPN. ... The Bulls presented Atlanta Braves right-hander John Smoltz with a game ball at halftime. Smoltz, it appears, has been a behind-the-scenes supporter of the Bulls athletic program for a number of years.
NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE 79, PENN STATE 63: Morris Peterson scored 17 points and visiting Michigan State broke open a close game by scoring the first 10 points of the second half.
The first-place Spartans (21-6, 11-2 Big Ten), who shot 33-of-59 from the field, won their fourth straight. They visit No. 16 Indiana on Sunday.
A.J. Granger added 15 points, while Mateen Cleaves had 11 points and 10 assists.
NO. 23 KANSAS 83, NEBRASKA 58: Nick Bradford scored 19 points as the Jayhawks recovered from a sluggish start, handing the host Cornhuskers their sixth straight loss.