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Unbeaten Bulls dominate

USF 79, CAL 59: B.B. Waldon (18 points) and Altron Jackson (23 points) team up to ensure a quality basketball win.

By JOHN C. COTEY
© St. Petersburg Times,
published December 2, 2001

TAMPA -- B.B. Waldon's first shot, fittingly, was a rebound and a dunk, and the only thing surprising about it was it came nine minutes into the game.

Or right on time, depending on your perspective. Following Waldon's lead, USF took over Saturday's game at the Sun Dome with the board-crashing, ball-hawking play that the Bulls will need if they are to advance to the postseason.

And the victory should help, too. Hyped as the kind of game that will sway NCAA Tournament selectors come March, USF's surprisingly easy 79-59 win over California will go down as one of those much-desired quality wins.

"It was a great win," USF coach Seth Greenberg said. "The defense in the first half was unbelievable. I thought we were really, really good."

The Bulls shut down the Bears' taller inside players and made life miserable for their outside shooters, helping spark a 16-3 run midway through the first half. The Bulls put the game away early in the second half and coasted to a sixth straight win to start the season, matching the 1998-99 school record for best start.

"It was the defense," Waldon said. "When we get somebody turning the ball over and they can't get any offense, it opens up things for our offense. We played them at Berkeley last year (a 79-69 Cal win) and we just turned the ball over; this time we had them turn the ball over."

USF held Cal (4-1) to 28 percent shooting in the first half, forced 11 turnovers, and forced five of the Bears' seven field goals to come from three-point range.

"We studied the film and saw they didn't like pressure," said Waldon, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds. "When they came, we knew they had been shooting bad from 3s. We wanted them to take the 3s. The more bad shots, the more rebounds for us to get out and run the floor with."

USF put the Bears into a hole by cutting off the passing lanes, playing excellent help defense (particularly out of a 1-3-1 zone) and making Cal play away from its strengths. The Bulls weren't flawless offensively, shooting 40 percent in the first half. But they didn't need to be as they dominated the boards, grabbing 11 offensive rebounds. Putbacks accounted for most of their offense.

"Eleven offensive rebounds is a lot," Cal coach Ben Braun said. "I think that's a lot for a game."

Waldon's follow dunk was the most emphatic, keying a run that made it 27-13 in the first half, a margin that was extended to 40-23 by halftime.

USF's best shooting was saved for a five-minute stretch to open the second half as it hit its first five shots to open the lead to 28, the biggest advantage of the night. Waldon scored twice inside and Altron Jackson had a three-point play to bury the Bears.

The duo scored the team's first 15 points of the second half, and Greenberg said he thought it was the best the two had played since combining for 56 points in a win over Texas last season.

Jackson finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds (seven offensive), though he had a lackluster shooting night until abandoning his crooked jumper and going inside.

The victory, before 5,507 fans, instilled a little braggadocio in those who stuck around through a sloppily played and anticlimactic final 10 minutes. With 50 seconds remaining, a small smattering began chanting "We want Florida!" a reference to Saturday's USF opponent -- and another chance for a quality win that may determine if the Bulls' 10-year NCAA Tournament drought ends.

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