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USF Defeats Texas State 88-74, Wins 2008 Verizon Wireless Tip-off Classic
Nov. 16, 2008
(Honolulu) - USF opened up the second half with a 10-2 run and never looked back taking a 88-74 victory against Texas State in game three of the 2008 Verizon Wireless Tip-off Classic. The Dons (2-0) win the tournament title as the only unbeaten team in the field against the scrappy Bobcats (1-1).
Junior forward Dior Lowhorn captured all-tournament honors after turning in his first double-double of the season with a game-high 26 points and set a career-high with 13 rebounds. Freshman guard Kwame Vaughn added 17 points to go along with four rebounds and a pair of steals.
"I think Texas State's a really tough-minded team, athletic and they definitely gave us some problems early," USF head coach Rex Walters said. "I thought our guys responded after the first half and played a good basketball game in the second half. We've still got to work on turnovers and still have to work on our box-outs to limit their offensive rebounds. I'm proud of them. I want them to enjoy it. We won our two games and we're the only team to leave this place with two wins and that's something to be proud of."
Senior guard Manny Quezada chipped in 15 points with a game-high six assists in 25 minutes, while junior forward Blake Wallace added 12 points and three assists for the Dons, who open the season at 2-0 against Division I opponents since the 1997-98 season. Freshman forward Angelo Caloiaro chipped in seven points and three rebounds off the bench.
San Francisco held a .491 (27-55) from the field and limited the Bobcats to a .384 (28-73) clip. Texas State shot a woeful .500 (11-22) from the free throw line, while the Dons converted on .771 (27-35). USF did a nice job distributing the basketball, dishing out 18 assists on the afternoon with seven players recording at least one.
Texas State led by as many as seven in the first half, but the Dons headed to the locker room trailing by one, 42-41. Neither team took good care of the basketball, combining for 45 turnovers. USF did a better job in the second half with eight miscues after a rocky opening 20 minutes.
USF returns to action when it takes on longtime Bay Area rival Cal Tuesday, November 18 in the first meeting between the two teams since a 77-70 overtime Dons setback December 30, 2002. Tip-off against the Golden Bears is set for 7:25 PM at Haas Pavilion.
