San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Dons watch lead shrink, then hold on
USF had let a 14-point second half lead over Davidson dwindle to four at Chase Center on Saturday night.
With just more than a minute left, USF guard Jamaree Bouyea dribbled between the circles.
“I got the ball with nine or 10 seconds left (on the shot clock) and I looked at the shot clock,” Bouyea said. “I kind of backed it up to set myself up to take my time. I looked back up. It was, like, four seconds left and I just shot it — and it went in.”
Bouyea’s pressurepacked 3 gave the Dons a 60-53 edge. Stephen Curry’s alma mater got no closer than four in the final minute as USF prevailed 65-60.
USF head coach Todd Golden said that for Bouyea “to be able to take that load on his shoulders and have the confidence to take a shot like that and then to make it is really big — and it speaks to him as a kid and him as a player.”
The sequence before Bouyea’s key 3 featured another aspect of his game: defense. The Wildcats (1-1) were on a 10-0 run and then Josh Kunen committed one of the Dons’ 18 turnovers. Foster Loyer stole the ball and appeared headed for a layup.
However, Bouyea hustled back downcourt to force Loyer to lose the ball out of bounds and the Dons maintained their four-point edge.
Bouyea said he got more satisfaction from stopping the breakaway than from hitting the shot-clock-beating trey.
“I take more pride in the defensive end, for sure,” said the graduate student who is in his fifth year in the Dons’ program.
This was the Dons’ second game at Chase; they beat Princeton 82-72 on Nov. 9, 2019. It was still a thrill for them to play in an NBA arena.
“It’s a dream to play in here,” was how Bouyea put it.
Said Golden: “I’m really excited for our guys. To be able to play in an NBA arena in your home city, in front of your friends and family is a pretty neat experience.”
Khalil Shabazz provided a couple of neat experiences in the second half with his quick hands and alert passing. First he made a steal and led a fast break. He then fed Yauhen Massalski perfectly for a dunk and a 53-40 USF edge.
Not quite two minutes later, Shabazz made another steal and led another fast break. This time, he found Bouyea for the jam and it was 57-43 with 5:47 remaining.
But just when the Dons’ faithful thought USF might coast to its third straight win, Davidson responded with that 10-0 spurt. Luka Brajkovic hit a 3 and the Wildcats were down only 57-53 with two minutes to go, setting the stage for Bouyea’s key plays on defense and offense.
Offense was a struggle for both teams in the first half. USF led 21-20 with a minute to go before Kunen buried a 3 from the left side and Gabe Stefanini nailed a contested jumper from beyond the arc to beat the buzzer to give the Dons a 27-20 edge at the break.
The Dons hadn’t had much trouble scoring in winning their first two