After being routed, Dons get revenge
USF enjoyed a signature win under Kyle Smith on Thursday night, and suddenly St. Mary’s NCAA Tournament outlook has gone from a certainty to something less than that.
Two weeks after losing to St. Mary’s by 36 points, the Dons upset the 15th-ranked Gaels 70-63 on the Hilltop. That’s by far the biggest victory for Smith, the longtime St. Mary’s assistant who took over the USF program before last season.
“I think it’s important to try to debunk the narrative of, ‘It’s the three programs that finish 1-2-3 and then the rest,’ ” said Smith, referring to Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and BYU.
Meanwhile, the Gaels — who a week earlier were riding a 19-game winning streak and owned sole possession of first place in the WCC — have dropped two in a row, including a loss to the Zags in Moraga on Saturday.
St. Mary’s came into Thursday with an RPI of
28. USF’s was 169.
“We just have to do some things to help our guys get our confidence back,” St. Mary’s senior point guard Emmett Naar said.
Naar had 16 points and five assists, but his USF counterpart, Frankie Ferrari, was the best player on the court Thursday. The junior had game highs of 20 points (on 7-for-11 shooting) and seven assists.
“He was awesome,” Smith said of Ferrari. “He was definitely nails for us out there: his leadership, his poise. He’s just growing by the day.”
Said Ferrari: “For the program, it’s huge. Obviously, St. Mary’s has gotten the best of USF over the past few years, so it’s nice to get one, especially at home, in front of the fans.”
Ferrari made almost all the key plays down the stretch. He fed center Matt McCarthy for a layup with 4½ minutes to go to put USF up 57-56. The Dons were in front the rest of the way.
With a little less than three minutes remaining, Ferrari buried a three-pointer to extend the Dons’ lead to four. With a minute to go, the Burlingame High grad knifed down the right side of the lane for a bucket that made it 64-58, and the USF fans could taste the victory.
USF (15-13, 7-8) also got 13 points from Jordan Ratinho and 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds from reserve center Jimbo Lull.
Center Jock Landale led the Gaels (24-4, 13-2) with 19 points, but he was hampered by foul trouble much of the night and fouled out with 1:41 left.
“Landale played (only) 27 minutes and that didn’t help,” St. Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett said. “…We have to play better when we’re without him.”
St. Mary’s had won seven straight against USF and had taken 24 of the previous 25 meetings, including a 79-43 romp in Moraga on Feb. 1.
On Thursday, St. Mary’s led for the final 15:52 of the first half and the first 7½ minutes of the second half. With the Gaels in front 45-44, Landale tried to throw down a dunk, but USF’s 6-foot-7 forward Nate Renfro rejected it.
On the the Dons’ ensuing possession, Lull scored on a crossunder and USF had its first lead since it was up 4-3.