Game Stats PDF | Season Stats PDF | Postgame Notes
LAS VEGAS - University of South Florida senior Mike Mercer drained 19 points, 13 in the second half, to down San Diego in the final game of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic.
USF also defeated San Francisco on Dec. 19 to go undefeated in a tournament for the first time since a pair of wins over South Alabama and New Orleans in the 2003 USF Holiday Hoops Classic.
The Bulls are 10-2 for the first time since 1991-92, the same year USF played in the NCAA tournament after posting a 19-10 overall record. The Bulls also passed last season's win total, when the team went 9-22 overall.
Mercer's 19 points are a career-best, surpassing his previous high of 12 against UCF on Dec. 16, 2009. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal to the Bulls' 10th win of the season.
Four Bulls scored in double digits, including Mercer (19),Dominique Jones (18), Jarrid Famous (14) and Chris Howard (11). USF is now 3-0 when four Bulls score in double figures.
USF spread the wealth on the boards as Famous grabbed seven, Howard had six and Jones and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick each pulled down five.
The Bulls and Toreros dueled in the first half, matching buckets throughout most of the half, watching the lead change seven times and neither team taking more than a four-point lead.
USF looked to be starting a run with back-to-back long balls from Howard and Jones, but San Diego connected on five unanswered points to stay close to the Bulls.
Despite the back-and-forth battle, USF held the lead the first six minutes of the game. USD tied the score at 13, then a bucket from Jones and a three-point play by Famous put the Bulls ahead again.
San Diego hit a pair of free throws and a long ball just before the half to take a two-point lead going into the locker rooms.
Just three minutes into the second half, USF was down by four, but made a 9-0 run to take the 49-43 lead with 12 minutes left. Minutes later, USF added an 8-3 run, but San Diego answered with an 8-2 run of their own.
After being tied at 51 with eight minutes to play, USF went on an 8-1 run and never looked back.
The Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic wraps up USF's non-conference season. USF opens the BIG EAST portion of the season on Dec. 30 at Louisville, a BIG EAST Network television game, then returns to the Sun Dome on Jan. 5 to face Notre Dame at 7 p.m. That game can be seen on ESPNU.
USF vs. San Diego
Dec. 20, 2009
Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic
Postgame Notes
- The Bulls are 10-2 for the first time since 1991-92, the same year USF played in the NCAA tournament after posting a 19-10 overall record.
- USF also defeated San Francisco on Dec. 19 to go undefeated in a tournament for the first time since a pair of wins over South Alabama and New Orleans in the 2003 USF Holiday Hoops Classic.
- USF outscored USD 34-14 in the paint and scored 15 points off of turnovers, compared to just seven by the Toreros.
- USF is now 3-0 when four Bulls score in double digits. Against USD, those four Bulls were Mike Mercer (19), Dominique Jones (18), Jarrid Famous (14) and Chris Howard (11).
- Senior guard Mike Mercer's 19 points are a career-best, surpassing his previous high of 12 against UCF on Dec. 16, 2009.
- Junior guard Dominique Jones hit 9-of-11 from the free throw line, matching his season-best nine made free throws against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 22.
- Jones tallied six assists, the fifth time this season for collecting six or more helpers.
- After collecting back-to-back double-double games, junior forward Jarrid Famous scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Bulls in boards for the seventh time this season. He has also shared the lead two other times.
