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USF: Stan Heath | F Augustus Gilchrist and G Shaun Noriega
Villanova: Jay Wright and G Corey Stokes G Dominic Cheek
TAMPA - University of South Florida junior Augustus Gilchrist notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Bulls' 83-71 loss to the No. 7 Villanova Wildcats Thursday night at the Sun Dome.
USF (6-10, 0-3) came into tonight's contest looking to end a four-game losing streak, which was punctuated by a heartbreaking loss to BIG EAST Conference rival No. 4 Connecticut in overtime on Dec. 31.
The Wildcats (13-1, 2-0) entered the Sun Dome ranked seventh in the nation, riding a seven-game winning streak. Five Villanova players scored in double-digits, led by 22 from Corey Stokes.
The Bulls fell behind early in the opening half, but were able to pull to within one point thanks to an 8-0 run that began at the 10-minute mark. Villanova answered the Bulls' offensive push with a successful attempt from behind the three-point line to take the 22-18 lead.
An and-one dunk from Hugh Robertson with four minutes left in the first stanza pulled the score within one, then a put-back dunk by Ron Anderson Jr. off a missed Shaun Noriega three gave USF the 28-27 lead.
Villanova countered with an 8-2 run to take the 35-30 advantage at the half.
Gilchrist scored five-straight points for the Bulls to open the second half and bring the score to within two, but small runs by Villanova kept the Bulls at least four points away for the next nine minutes.
In the last nine minutes of the game, USF's closest margin was nine points.
Halfway through the second stanza, a four-point play by Noriega brought the game to within three, but again Villanova countered with shots from beyond the arc and quickly gained a 12-point lead on the Bulls.
Villanova never let the Bulls within nine points over the last seven minutes on the Wildcats' way to the 83-71 victory.
Noriega, in his second career start, connected on three treys in the game and was 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. The sophomore had not hit a three since the Dec. 22 game at Cleveland State, and the last time Noriega had multiple long balls came on Nov. 27 against Texas Tech in the South Padre Invitational.
Noriega found himself scoring in double-digits for the third time of his career against Villanova, just short of his career high which came on Nov. 15, 2010 against St. Francis, where he went 4-of-6 from long range on his way to 15 points.
Junior forward Hugh Robertson extended his double-digit scoring streak to six games and Anthony Crater dished out a career-high eight assists in the game.
USF outrebounded Villanova 31-27, extending their trend of tying or outrebounding all but two of their opponents this season. Seton Hall (34-32) and FAU (35-29) are the only teams to outperform the Bulls on the glass.
The Bulls will face another BIG EAST foe on Sunday at noon, when they host the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals.
GAME NOTES
- USF Starters: Ron Anderson Jr, Augustus Gilchrist, Hugh Robertson, Anthony Crater and Shaun Noriega. Noriega's start was the second of his career and his first since Nov. 12 against Southern Miss.
- Noriega scored in double-digits for the third time in his career. His career high is 15, which came on Nov. 15, 2010 against St. Francis.
- Hugh Robertson has a six-game double-digit scoring streak.
- USF set a season high in attendance: 4,510. The previous season-high came against Southern Miss on Nov. 12: 3,689.
- USF used an 8-0 run from 10:16 to 8:49 in the first half. The score was 19-18 VU after the run.
- USF took the first lead of the game since 2-0 with a dunk off an offensive rebound by Ron Anderson Jr. with three minutes left in the half, making the score 28-27.
- Augustus Gilchrist registered his second career double-double. Gilchrist's first was against DePaul in 2009.
- USF outrebounded Villanova 31-27. USF has outrebounded all but two of their opponents this season (FAU and Seton Hall)
