Sunday, December 12
Kent, Ohio
6:30 PM
University of South Florida
51
at
56
Kent State
Bulls Fall to Heath's Former Team, Kent State, 56-51
December 13, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Game Stats PDF | Season Box
KENT, Ohio - The University of South Florida men's basketball team, and head coach Stan Heath, fell to Heath's former team Kent State 56-51 on Sunday night in Ohio.
Coach Heath returned to the MAC Center for the first time since leading the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in 2002. Kent State had a pregame recognition and a couple of players from the team were on hand for the honoring of the team. The Bulls got 15 points from sophomore Jawanza Poland and 10 from junior Ron Anderson Jr. along with eight boards, but it was not enough for the Bulls on the road. USF was without their pair of starting big men, as Augustus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous both did not make the trip. The Bulls got solid minutes out of Anderson Jr. and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick in their absence, combining for 19 rebounds on the night. Anderson Jr., Fitzpatrick, Poland, Anthony Crater and Hugh Robertson each played over 30 minutes in the loss, with Anderson Jr. leading the way with 38 minutes. Robertson added nine points and six rebounds, while Crater scored seven and added four dimes. USF started the game with four points from Ron Anderson Jr. and a trey by guard Anthony Crater on its way to an early 17-6 lead. In that stretch, KSU attempted a run, scoring five points from a pair of jumpers and a free throw, but an alarming dunk by Jawanza Poland awed the crowd and silenced the Golden Flashes. Over the next four minutes, KSU outscored the Bulls 11-3 before Hugh Robertson hit back-to-back jumpers and halted the Golden Flashes' run. The Bulls led by as many as 11 in the first half, but KSU tapped in a putback as the buzzer sounded to draw the halftime lead to three, 24-21.
After Robertson scored USF's first five points of the second half, Poland stole the ball at half court and finished with a dunk to give USF the 31-25 lead prior to the first media timeout.
KSU took its first lead of the game just eight minutes into the second half, and a see-saw battle followed with lead changing three times in the second half.
In the second half, only one point was scored over a four-minute span until Anderson Jr. hit a pair of bunnies to re-tie the game at 37 with seven minutes left.
With under three minutes to play, Crater hit a pair of free throws followed by a deep three and a layup by Poland to put the Bulls within one.
But the Flashes responded with a three of their own with under a minute to play to give KSU the momentum they needed to hold on for the 56-51 win.
USF returns to the Sun Dome for back-to-back home games as the Bulls face Auburn on Wednesday and James Madison on Saturday. If you can't catch the Auburn game live, check it out at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
USF Notes
- USF starters: Anthony Crater, Jawanza Poland, Hugh Robertson, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick and Ron Anderson, Jr.
- Fitzpatrick made his first start of the season after being in the first five 22 times as a true freshman.
- Fitzpatrick hit a pair of threes in the game, matching his career high of two against Georgia Southern earlier this season.
- USF has shot less than 40 percent in five straight halves, dating back to the second half of the VCU game on December 1.
- Despite not having the two tallest players on the team at the game, USF outrebounded KSU 21-18 in the first half and 41-39 for the game. USF has outrebounded its opponent in all but one game this season.
- Coach Stan Heath returned to the MAC Center for the first time since leading the Golden Flashes to the Elite 8 in 2002. Kent State had a pregame recognition and a couple of players from the team were on hand for the recognition of the team.
- Senior Jarrid Famous and junior Augustus Gilchrist did not make the trip to Ohio due to personal reasons.
KENT, Ohio - The University of South Florida men's basketball team, and head coach Stan Heath, fell to Heath's former team Kent State 56-51 on Sunday night in Ohio.
Coach Heath returned to the MAC Center for the first time since leading the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in 2002. Kent State had a pregame recognition and a couple of players from the team were on hand for the honoring of the team. The Bulls got 15 points from sophomore Jawanza Poland and 10 from junior Ron Anderson Jr. along with eight boards, but it was not enough for the Bulls on the road. USF was without their pair of starting big men, as Augustus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous both did not make the trip. The Bulls got solid minutes out of Anderson Jr. and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick in their absence, combining for 19 rebounds on the night. Anderson Jr., Fitzpatrick, Poland, Anthony Crater and Hugh Robertson each played over 30 minutes in the loss, with Anderson Jr. leading the way with 38 minutes. Robertson added nine points and six rebounds, while Crater scored seven and added four dimes. USF started the game with four points from Ron Anderson Jr. and a trey by guard Anthony Crater on its way to an early 17-6 lead. In that stretch, KSU attempted a run, scoring five points from a pair of jumpers and a free throw, but an alarming dunk by Jawanza Poland awed the crowd and silenced the Golden Flashes. Over the next four minutes, KSU outscored the Bulls 11-3 before Hugh Robertson hit back-to-back jumpers and halted the Golden Flashes' run. The Bulls led by as many as 11 in the first half, but KSU tapped in a putback as the buzzer sounded to draw the halftime lead to three, 24-21.
After Robertson scored USF's first five points of the second half, Poland stole the ball at half court and finished with a dunk to give USF the 31-25 lead prior to the first media timeout.
- USF starters: Anthony Crater, Jawanza Poland, Hugh Robertson, Toarlyn Fitzpatrick and Ron Anderson, Jr.
- Fitzpatrick made his first start of the season after being in the first five 22 times as a true freshman.
- Fitzpatrick hit a pair of threes in the game, matching his career high of two against Georgia Southern earlier this season.
- USF has shot less than 40 percent in five straight halves, dating back to the second half of the VCU game on December 1.
- Despite not having the two tallest players on the team at the game, USF outrebounded KSU 21-18 in the first half and 41-39 for the game. USF has outrebounded its opponent in all but one game this season.
- Coach Stan Heath returned to the MAC Center for the first time since leading the Golden Flashes to the Elite 8 in 2002. Kent State had a pregame recognition and a couple of players from the team were on hand for the recognition of the team.
- Senior Jarrid Famous and junior Augustus Gilchrist did not make the trip to Ohio due to personal reasons.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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