South Florida rebounds from early deficit to defeat Colorado State, 48-45
Colorado State’s Keyora Wharry (3) and South Florida’s Maria Jespersen, center, battle for a rebound during an NCAA tournament game on March 19.
In the second NCAA Tournament game at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, the sixth-seeded South Florida Bulls came back from an early deficit to defeat the 11th-seeded Colorado State Rams, 48-45.
The Bulls (24-9) were carried from start to finish by senior guard Courtney Williams, who had 31 points. The rest of the team combined for six field goals on 31 attempts. Colorado State’s Jamie Patrick and Ellen Nystrom finished with 17 and 12 points, respectively.
The Rams (31-2) were the Mountain West Conference champions but were seeded 11th because of a comparatively weak strength of schedule. They jumped out to a 10-0 advantage, and held the Bulls without a basket until the 2:25 mark of the first quarter. Colorado State couldn’t maintain its early offensive rhythm, though, and with six minutes to go in the second quarter it relinquished the lead. By midway through the third quarter, the Bulls added some cushion to what was once a one-possession game. The Rams made a late run but couldn’t convert on a potential game-tying three.
South Florida’s victory means it’ll face UCLA in the second round on Monday. The Bruins and Bulls did not play each other during the regular season.
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