Men's Basketball February 12, 2011 USF

Noriega Hits Six Treys in USF's 78-55 Loss to ND

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Postgame Video: Coach Stan Heath | Shaun Noriega
Postgame Video: Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey

TAMPA - Sophomore Shaun Noriega hit six threes on his way to a career-high 23 points in the University of South Florida's 78-55 loss to Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls (8-18, 2-11) got off to a slow start on both the offensive and defensive end Saturday and were unable to fight their way back into the game as they fell to No. 8/7 Notre Dame (21-4, 10-3).

Noriega, who was 6-of-10 from long range, added three rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes. His previous career-high of 15 points came against St. Francis on Nov. 13 and his six three-pointers off the bench are the most a player has had for USF this season.

The Fighting Irish shot 55.7 percent from the field behind the hot hand of guard Jack Cooley, who scored 18. He went 9-of-10 from the field and added eight boards.

Forward Ron Anderson Jr. had another strong effort on the glass, posting 11 rebounds to go with his six points.

It was an uphill battle for the Bulls from the start as Notre Dame led nearly the entire game. The Fighting Irish jumped out to a 20-point lead just 10 minutes into the game, 26-6.

The Bulls had a mere 17 points at the half, their second lowest point total of the season, trailing 41-17 to go into the locker rooms. The Bulls shot 20 percent from the field in the first half to Notre Dame's 66.7 percent and the Bulls hit 30.4 percent on the day.

The Bulls outscored the Fighting Irish 38-37 in the second stanza, though as Noriega went off for 17 points, hitting five threes. Anderson Jr. added six points and 10 rebounds in the last 20 minutes.

USF's bench contributed 37 points, including 10 of its first 13 to start the game.

The 6,104 fans in attendance were the most the Sun Dome has seen this season.

Next Wednesday, the Bulls will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers at 7 p.m. The all-time series is split 3-3.

Game Notes
- USF's bench outscored the starters 37 to 18, led by 23 points from Shaun Noriega.
- Ten of USF's first 13 points were scored by the bench, including six from Shaun Noriega and four from Jarrid Famous. Starting guard Hugh Robertson scored USF's first three points of the game.
- Shaun Noriega hit six threes in the game, the sixth game this season with multiple long balls. Noriega has hit four or more a trio of times this season.
- Noriega has hit a three in nine of his last 11 games.
- The attendance of 6,104 marks the highest crowd in the Sun Dome this season, surpassing the 4510 who watched USF battle Villanova on Jan. 6, 2011. The highest attendance in Tampa this season was 10,051 at the St. Pete Times Forum on Feb. 5 when USF faced Syracuse.
- USF outrebounded Notre Dame 41-40. The Bulls have grabbed more boards than their opponent 22 of 26 times this season.
- USF forced Notre Dame into eight first-half turnovers and 13 for the game.