3-pointers put Dons 1 win from CBI title
USF apparently took the “best-of-three” phrase to heart — at least in the first half — in the opener of the CBI Finals on the Hilltop on Monday night.
The Dons nailed nine of their first 11 attempts from beyond the arc in the opening 15 minutes and picked up a 72-62 victory over North Texas.
Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 will be played in Denton, Texas, at the UNT Coliseum, better known as the Super Pit.
The Dons broke the school record for three-pointers in a season (299) set last season. It only seemed as if they hit all 312 in the first half Monday evening.
“We were just really firing on all cylinders,” USF head coach Kyle Smith said of his team’s first-half offense.
The Dons (22-15) took control of the game early, with a 22-2 run that turned a 7-5 deficit into a 27-9 edge.
Guard Frankie Ferrari put USF ahead for good with — what else? — a trey and buried two more threes soon thereafter.
Moments later, Ferrari fed Chase Foster cutting down the right baseline. Foster then found Jordan Ratinho in the left corner for a three and it was 19-7, USF.
Ratinho, a sophomore swingman, capped the 22-2 stretch with back-to-back threes, the second off an assist from Ferrari.
Ratinho went 5-for-5 on three-point tries in the first half, which ended with the Dons in front 46-30. The De La SalleConcord alum finished with 17 points, sharing game-high honors with Foster.
The lone senior on either team, Foster got, in Smith’s words, “redemption for his Senior Night.” On Feb. 24 against San Diego, the Dons lost 64-61 in the final regular-season home game. Foster had only nine points and committed five turnovers.
“It was a little sour taste in my mouth playing USD,” Foster said, “thinking that was my last home game.”
Monday proved to be Foster’s actual final home game. In addition to the 17 points, he added 10 rebounds and six assists.
The Dons went stone cold in the second half, and allowed North Texas to get back into the game. USF went 10-for-35 from the field, including 2-for-15 from long range. The Dons missed their first seven free-throw attempts of the half.
It was 61-53, USF, with just more than three minutes left. Ferrari (13 points, nine assists) drove the lane and dished to center Matt McCarthy for a jam. On the next possession, Foster dropped home a three from the corner. North Texas got no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Zachary Simmons grabbed a game-high 22 rebounds for the Mean Green (18-18), breaking the CBI record of 19 set by Ohio’s Antonio Campbell in 2016.
Briefly: McCarthy had a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards. … This March, the WCC has had four teams in postseason play, each in a different tournament and each with a winning record. Gonzaga went 2-1 in the NCAAs, St. Mary’s went 2-1 in the NIT, San Diego went 2-1 in the CIT and USF is 4-0 in the CBI.