Sports: USF takes Shootout crown

USF takes Shootout crown

By ANTONYA ENGLISH

TAMPA -- It will be a happy holiday for the South Florida men's basketball team.

Playing tenacious defense and shooting better than 60 percent in the first half, the Bulls defeated Eastern Illinois 90-68 to win the USF Shootout in front of 3,467 at the Sun Dome on Friday night. It was the second-highest offensive production for the Bulls this season.

South Florida (8-3) will take a three-day break on a six-game winning streak.

Friday night's game was much different than the sluggish first-half performance the Bulls mustered in the tournament's opening game.

"We knew we had another game so we just came out and took care of business," junior forward Altron Jackson said. "We were thinking about getting this win and going home."

Eastern Illinois (7-4) kept the game close for almost seven minutes before the Bulls got on a roll. After Kyle Hill's three-pointer gave Eastern Illinois a 10-9 lead with 14:37 remaining in the first half, South Florida went on a 19-5 run for a 28-15 lead. By halftime, the Bulls led 48-31.

South Florida shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half and had 16 defensive rebounds. For the game, South Florida shot 55 percent, outrebounded the Panthers 45-35 and had 14 steals.

Bulls forward B.B. Waldon scored 19 of his game-high 29 in the first half, and Jackson scored 15 of his 19 during the first 20 minutes.

"It (the winning streak) has been a team effort," Waldon said. "Everybody is holding on to that rope and trying to get to the highest point we can."

The Bulls held Eastern Illinois leading scorer Henry Domercant without a field goal in the first half. Domercant, who scored a game-high 32 in a win over Buffalo on Thursday night, converted just two free throws in the first 20 minutes. Domercant finished with 16. Panthers guard Hill scored a team-high 27, including six three-pointers.

"I thought we did a terrific job on (Domercant)," USF coach Seth Greenberg said. "We really did a good job of making it hard for him to get good looks."

South Florida led by as many as 26 with 12:24 remaining, but Eastern Illinois made the game interesting in the final six minutes. Trailing 73-48, the Panthers went on a 12-0 run to pull within 73-60.

But a basket by Cedric Smith (seven points, five rebounds) and three free throws by Waldon ended the Panthers' comeback.

Waldon and Jackson were selected to the all-tournament team along with Domercant, Hill and Buffalo's Robert Brown.

In the consolation game, Buffalo defeated Alcorn State 74-69.