TAMPA - The University of South Florida again hung around with one of the BIG EAST's elite teams, but couldn't finish the job in the second half. The Bulls (9-22, 3-15 BIG EAST) fell 72-56 at No. 15 St. John's (20-10, 12-6) on Saturday night to close out the regular season.
Augustus Gilchrist led the Bulls with 16 points and was one of four Bulls to score in double figures. Shaun Noriega added 14, while Ron Anderson, Jr., posted 13 and Jarrid Famous netted 10. Anderson, Jr., led the team with six boards.
St. John's was led by D.J. Kennedy with 16 points.
USF led 47-46 with 9:17 to play in the game, but found itself on the short end of a 20-6 run over the next seven minutes that proved the difference in the game. The decisive stretch saw the Red Storm take advantage of second-chances on the offensive end and USF turnovers. St. John's scored 38 points off either second-chances or turnovers on the night.
The Bulls took a 32-20 lead to the locker room at halftime after leading by as many as six points early in the first period. Noriega netted 12 of his 14 in the opening frame, scoring three times from long range. Gilchrist also had 10 points before the intermission.
USF opened the game shooting well as a team, converting 52.3 percent (12-of-23) from the field in the opening frame. The Bulls finished the game with a field goal percentage of 41.3 percent (19-of-46).
The BIG EAST tournament begins Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. The Bulls are slated to take on Villanova at 7 p.m. ET.
Game Notes
- The USF starters were Anthony Crater, Shaun Noriega, Hugh Robertson, Jarrid Famous and Augustus Gilchrist. It was the fifth time the lineup has been used this season by head coach Stan Heath, and the Bulls are now 0-5 when that group starts a game.
- Hugh Robertson is the only Bull to start all 31 games.
- Shaun Noriega hit three threes in the game and has hit multiple threes in 10 games this season. He scored USF's first six points.
- Augustus Gilchrist scored 16 points, and has scored at least 10 points in all but seven games this season, including five straight.
- Ron Anderson, Jr., scored 13 points for his sixth double-digit performance of the year and his first since Jan. 12 vs. Cincinnati. He also grabbed six rebounds and has pulled down at least five boards in 21 games this year. He notched a career-high three steals as well.
- Jarrid Famous scored 10 points for his 13th double-digit performance of the year. He shot 5-of-9 from the field.
