Despite grabbing a No. 4 seed in the NIT Tournament, USF was outmatched and eliminated in the first round, losing 71-63 to the Louisiana State University Tigers. With their early exit in the NIT, the Dons’ most successful season under head coach Rex Walters officially came to an end.
USF (21-12) started the scoring off on a jumper by junior forward Kruize Pinkins, but LSU picked it up from there, going on an 11-2 run to grab and cement the lead. The Dons showed resilience, however, staying on the Tigers’ heels for most of the first half. After LSU managed to jump out to an eight point lead with 4:28 remaining in the half, The Dons began to take over and eventually came within one point. Layups by senior forward Cole Dickerson and sophomore guard Avry Holmes, as well as a tip in by Dickerson off of a missed Holmes layup, reduced the deficit to two. The Tigers answered with a dunk by Jarell Martin, but Dickerson followed with a massive three-pointer to bring the score to 29-28.
USF began the second half down 33-30, and was able to keep up early on, scoring 10 points and trailing by no more than six for the first six minutes of the half. However, from this point forward, LSU dominated and went up 61-45, their largest lead of the game, with 8:15 left. The Dons clawed away at the lead, getting within six points at 68-62, but sophomore guard Tim Derksen’s layup attempt was blocked with 1:07 to go, and the Dons never got any closer.
Dickerson led the Dons in scoring with 24 points in addition to eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Dickerson was the lone USF senior this season, and his final game as a Don was filled with moments of individual excellence. He shot 10-for-20 from the field and carried the Dons on a night where they struggled offensively.
In a season that started with a rocky stretch, the Dons came on strong in conference play and overachieved in the eyes of many, earned themselves the No. 3 seed in the West Coast Conference tournament behind only Gonzaga and BYU. USF’s NIT bid was even more impressive considering that starting point guard Cody Doolin quit the team just five games into the season after his involvement in an altercation with another player.
Despite losing their rock-solid point guard, the Dons earned a 13-5 record in conference play, including a win against their longtime rival Saint Mary's, a team they hadn’t beaten since 2006.
After finishing the regular season with a 20-10 record, USF faced San Diego in the first round of the WCC Tournament and were able to pull off the win, 69-60. In the second round of the tournament, the Dons played the BYU Cougars, who had gone 2-0 against USF during the season. In a thrilling game that ended up going into overtime, the Dons fell to the Cougars by only two points with a final score of 79-77.
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