USF men’s hoops tops Tampa in exhibition

Posted Nov 6, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Nov 6, 2011 at 03:06 AM

The story from correspondent Michael Manganello:

It was only a cross-city exhibition game against the University of Tampa, but the University of South Florida men’s basketball team looked to have a different edge than years past.

The Bulls displayed a high-octane offense and tough defense to pick up a 75-43 win over the Spartans on Saturday night at the Bob Martinez Sports Center, which will host three USF regular season games.

“We’re just trying to get ready for our season and work on the things we do in practice,” USF coach Stan Heath said. “I thought, for the most part, we ran our stuff. We had good tempo and (a) good pace to the game and defended pretty well.”

Point guard play, one of the Bulls’ biggest question marks heading into the season, was a strength for the Bulls as LaVonte Dority and Blake Nash combined for zero turnovers.

“I didn’t see any turnovers and that’s the biggest thing,” Heath said. “I thought they made good decisions out there on the floor and they were solid.”

The only major worry for the Bulls as they look ahead to Saturday’s regular season opener against Vermont is 15-for-32 free throw shooting.

“Obviously, that free throw shooting is not up to par right now,” Heath said. “We’ve got to get in the gym and make sure we’re strong in that area.”

Senior forward Augustus Gilchrist led the way offensively for the Bulls, with 21 points, while Ron Anderson Jr., Shaun Noriega and Victor Rudd each added 11 points. Rudd, who had a few highlight-reel-worthy dunks, finished a rebound short of a double-double in his USF debut after transferring from Arizona State.