Halftime: Villanova 36, USF 25

Posted Feb 24, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Feb 24, 2010 at 10:56 PM

Anthony Crater just hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to trim Villanova’s lead to 11 going into halftime.

The Bulls’ largest deficit was 14 at 36-22.

For a team playing for its NCAA Tourney life, the Bulls didn’t look very inspired for much of the first half. They are still relying too much on the outside shot and have had trouble keeping the Wildcats off the offensive glass.

Here are some reasons why USF trails:

+ Bulls are shooting just 34.8 percent (8-for-23), including 1-for-8 from 3-point range.

+ USF has 10 turnovers, four more than Villanova.

+ Villanova has a 22-16 edge in rebounds and has 20-14 edge in points-in-the-paint.

I’ll be back shortly with some second-half updates.