Box Score
LAS VEGAS --
Avry Holmes scored a team-high 19 points while
Tim Derksen and
Cole Dickerson added 15 and 14 points, respectively to lead USF to a 69-60 victory over San Diego in the quarterfinals of the WCC Men's Basketball Championships being held at the Orleans Arena.
The victory moves USF into Monday's semifinals against BYU, which defeated Loyola Marymount 85-74 in another quarterfinal match up. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
The win is the Dons sixth straight and improves USF's record to 21-10 overall while San Diego finishes its season with a 16-16 record.
USF's defense limited San Diego to just 37.3 percent shooting for the game, as the Dons held their eighth straight opponent under the 70-point mark.
The Dons also won the battle of the boards, 37-28 to improve to 17-4 on the season when outrebounding the opponent. Dickerson grabbed a team-high eight rebounds while Derksen added six and
Mark Tollefsen five.
USF drained six of its seven three-pointers in the game during the first half and built a 33-23 lead at intermission.
The Dons led by as many as 14 points in the second half at 42-38 with 14:33 left. However, the Toreros went on a 19-6 run, capped off by back-to-back three-pointers by Johnny Dee, to cut the Dons' lead down to one at 48-47 with 8:36 left.
Holmes quickly turned the momentum back to the Dons, scoring seven points in an 8-0 run that gave USF a 56-47 lead with 5:52 left.
Derksen made the defensive play of the game with just under four minutes left in the game when he blocked a three-point attempt by Dee, gathered the loose ball and drove the length of the court for a layup that increased the Dons' lead to 59-48.
San Diego would not get closer than seven points down the stretch.
The Dons' 21 wins are their most since the 1981-82 team finished with 25 on its way to the NCAA Tournament.
Rex Walters' Post-Game Comments
"It's hard to beat a good team three times. San Diego is a good team and they are only going to get better."
"Our defensive effort in the second half was phenomenal. Just about every shot Johnny Dee took tonight were difficult shots."
"When we need buckets or a big play offensively, it makes my job really easy to say, let's get it to Avry and let him make a play."
"What Timmy (Derksen) did is number one. He got out on fast breaks, he attacked, he's kind of like out Goose Gossage. He's our relief pitcher; we put him in to finish off games."
