Tampa Tribune 2/26/09: Seton Hall tops USF in hoops
Note: Space considerations forced this story to be cut from 600 words to 200 words. -AB
Turnovers Prove Costly For Bulls At Seton Hall
NEWARK, N.J. – South Florida had a three-pronged game plan against Seton Hall on Wednesday night: protect the ball, establish the post and rebound.
USF came through in a big way on the second and third keys, dominating the interior, but the Bulls failed miserably on the all-important first one with 19 costly turnovers that led to their fifth straight loss, 75-60 to the Pirates at the Prudential Center.
The Bulls (8-19, 3-12 Big East) outrebounded Hall (15-12, 6-9), 44-22, while getting strong performances from their big men. Six-foot-10 center Gil Gilchrist had 20 points, and 6-10 forward Alex Rivas set career highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
“I thought we needed to establish ourselves inside, getting the post going and do a good job on the boards,” USF coach Stan Heath said. “We did a great job in both of those areas.”
But those turnovers made the good work down low go for naught.
“The third area that was No. 1 on the list was turnovers and handling pressure, and we failed that area,” Heath said. “We were a big cause of their success because of our inability to protect the ball.”
