Big East Tournament, South Florida Vs. Villanova: Anthony Crater Lay-Up Gives USF 70-69 Win

After being down 16 points at the half, USF comes back to win a 70-69 thriller over Villanova in the first round of the Big East Tournament. USF was led by Shaun Noriega's 22 points, while Augustus Gilchrist had 16 including some huge baskets down the stretch, and Jawanza Poland chipped in 11. Villanova was led by Maalik Wayns, who had a game high 24 points, Corey Stokes came back from his hamstring injury to add 16 off the bench, and Corey Fisher had 15 for the Wildcats.

USF took a 68-67 lead with 22 seconds left after a Wayns pass intended for Antonio Pena landed in the hands of Anthony Crater who was able to lay it in. Villanova took the lead back with 12 seconds to go as Wayns was able to draw a foul on Toarlyn Fitzpatrick and nailed both free throws. Anthony Crater took the inbounds pass and went unguarded from coast to coast to sink the game winner with 7 seconds to go. A Maalik Wayns prayer from just inside the 3-point line missed, and the Bulls move on to the 2nd round of the Big East Tournament for only the 2nd time in team history.

I would write more about the win, but I think Voodoo Five puts it better than I can.

The Bulls will now face Cincinnati in the quarterfinals tomorrow night at 7 PM. Make sure you visit Voodoo Five tomorrow for more USF/Cincinnati coverage.