PORTLAND, Ore. - A game-tying three-pointer by
Chris Adams with 0.01 remaining in regulation gave USF the extra life it needed to post a 87-81 overtime victory over Portland
on Saturday at the Chiles Center.\
Adams' three ball came after Kevin Bailey gave the Pilots a 69-66 lead with a three-pointer with :09 remaining, Following a timeout,
Tim Derksen inbounded the ball to Adams betweeen the circles and he found just enough room to get off a shot from the top of the key that found nothing but the bottom of the net, much to the dismay of of the crowd of 1,486 at the Chiles Center.
With USF trailing 73-71 with
3:18 remaining in the overtime period, Derksen hit a one-handed jumper that tied the game at 73 and then following a missed three by Bryce Pressley,
Avry Holmes drained a three-pointer to give USF a 76-73 lead with
1:52 left.
USF's lead was just two points at 76-74 with
1:33 remaining but the Dons went on a 9-4 run to put the game away before winning by the final 87-81 count.
Sophomore
Mark Tollefsen led all USF scorers with 22 points while Holmes finished with 15.
Cole Dickerson added 13 and
Matt Glover and
Kruize Pinkins chipped in with 11 each.
Portland's Bailey had 24 points to lead all scorers while Bobby Sharp finished with 13.
The Dons shot 60.4 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Pilots, 40-22 en route to their fifth straight WCC road victory. USF has also won nine of its last 11 overtime games.
USF's inside game led to 46 points in the pain compared to 28 for the Pilots.
The Dons trailed 35-27 at intermission but scored the first eight points after the break to knot the score at 35 all. The two teams were never separated by more than four points for the rest of regulation.
USF will conclude its Pacific Northwest road trip
Monday night at Gonzaga before returning home next week to face Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine.
Rex Walters' Post-Game Comments
"I'm just really proud of our guys for battling back after being down by eight at halftime. Our attention to executing the game plan was terrific and Mark (Tollefsen) and Avry (Holmes) played really well all night. And what can you say about Chris' three to tie the game?"
"This could be a breakout game for Avry at the point guard position in terms of confidence. He made a lot of big plays."
"Our post players showed unbelievable heart in controlling the paint, especially in the second half."
"I thought if we took care of the basketball a little better in the second half and run our offense inside out we'd be alright."
