SYRACUSE, NY (AP) - Trailing by 18 points with under seven minutes to go in the second half, the University of South Florida men's basketball team saw a late rally come up short in a 63-57 loss at Syracuse Sunday afternoon in BIG EAST action.
The Bulls, who trailed 31-20 at the intermission, saw that gap grow as the second-half progressed. The squad managed to make things interesting, however, pulling to within two possessions in the closing minutes.
SU Louie McCroskey's steal and breakaway layup with 6:47 to play gave Syracuse (13-2, 1-0) its biggest lead, 57-39. McCroskey finished with 10 points, a career-high nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 25 minutes, while Rautins, a freshman, added a career-best 10 points in 15 minutes, hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
USF (6-9, 0-2) closed the game with an 18-6 run, holding Syracuse to a single field goal -- Eric Devendorf's driving basket with 1:59 to go -- over the final 6:47. Syracuse sank four of six from the foul line to help fend off the Bulls' comeback.
James Holmes led South Florida with 23 points, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Solomon Jones added 14 for the Bulls, who lost their fourth in a row.
Terrence Roberts added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Syracuse, while center Darryl Watkins also snatched 10 rebounds.
USF coach Robert McCullum said his team has been plagued all year by turnovers, and it was again Sunday, matching its per game average with 22 miscues. The Bulls also were outrebounded on the offensive boards 18-9.
After struggling through the first nine minutes of the game, Syracuse used a full court zone press to trigger a 13-0 run that gave the Orange a 21-11 cushion with 8:04 to play in the half. Jones stopped the run with a short jumper 20 seconds later.
The three-minute spurt started when McCroskey rebounded his own missed free throw and saved it to McNamara, who sank a 3-pointer from the left corner. McCroskey had six points, five rebounds and a pair of assists in the first half.
McNamara added another 3-pointer during the run and Demetrius Nichols scored three baskets in transition as the Orange took advantage of five Bulls' turnovers during that span.
