Box Score
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Junior De'End Parker scored a career high 31 points and
Cole Dickerson posted his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 14 rebounds in leading USF to a 79-59 victory over Columbia Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium.
The win improves USF's record to 3-1 on the season while Columbia falls to 4-2.
Parker connected on 12 of 18 shots from the floor, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, in a 33-minute playing stint. He is now averaging 20.2 points a game and is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor after four games.
Junior point guard
Cody Doolin scored a season-high 13 points to go along with four assists and four rebounds. Freshman Tim Derksen added seven while redshirt freshman
Mark Tollefsen came off the bench and contributed six points and three rebounds.
After making just 2 of its first 11 shots from the floor, USF ended the game shooting 50.9 percent from the floor. The Dons also outrebounded its fourth straight opponent, 40-28.
Columbia led by as many as five points in the first half and was nursing a 18-16 lead with 9:55 left when three-pointers by
Chris Adams, Avry Holmes and
Cody Doolin helped the Dons to a 25-21 lead with 7:52 left. Tollefsen's three-pointer made it 28-21 with 5:15 left as the Dons would eventually take a 40-27 lead at intermission.
"They did a good job in denying us spots early in the game but once we got the ball to the high post and got some ball screen action, we got more comfortable," said USF head coach
Rex Walters. "We weathered a little bit of a storm early and then we took them out of what they do best."
Parker's 16 second half points helped USF build as much as a 26 point cushion at 68-42 with 6:59 left.
"I thought we played a pretty complete game," said Walters. "Our game plan was to chase them off the three-point line and we did that for the most part. I also thought our bench was very good tonight. Cole got in foul trouble early and Mark (Tollefsen) really stepped up, as did Matt Christiansen and Frank Rogers."
Walters also had high praise for Parker's performance.
"I'm shocked he missed six shots and missed two three's. He was really good. That was about as good of an individual performance that I've coached since I've been here."
USF will be idle until next Friday when the Dons play host to the Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.
