Dons’ men stay perfect; Krimili sparks women
Guard Khalil Shabazz had game highs of 24 points and seven assists and he helped USF overcome a 15-point deficit in the second half to knock off Northern Iowa 75-69 in the opener of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Mo., on Monday.
The Dons (5-0) trailed 50-35 early in the second half and were down 65-54 with eight minutes to go. They then went on a 10-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Isaiah Hawthorne.
It was 69-69 with just less than two minutes remaining. Shabazz grabbed a defensive rebound, took it to the other end and converted a layup despite getting fouled. He hit the ensuing free-throw try and the Dons were up to stay.
USF held Northern Iowa (1-2) scoreless over the final 3½ minutes.
“Credit to Khalil and the rest of our guys,” USF head coach Chris Gerlufsen said. “There was no panic. They didn’t blink and we just continued to try to play the right way.”
The Dons also got 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds from Zane Meeks, who’s from the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Kan.
Meeks helped the USF reserves outscore their Northern Iowa counterparts 25-4.
“That’s huge for us,” said Shabazz, who also had five rebounds and four steals. “Just showing every guy on our team can come in and be a huge help.”
USF will face Wichita State (3-1) in Tuesday’s championship game of the tournament. The Shockers handled Grand Canyon 55-43.
WOMEN Krimili goes for 35 as Dons upend Penn
On the Hilltop, the USF women also rallied for a victory. Ioanna Krimili poured in 35 points and became the program’s leader in career 3-pointers as the Dons (3-2) erased a 14point deficit to knock off the Quakers 73-65.
Penn (1-4) was up 37-23 with two minutes remaining in the first half before the Dons responded. Krimili scored 15 points in that third period, going 5-for-6 from long range. Krimili’s trey with a minute left in the period gave USF a 48-45 edge. The Dons stayed in front the rest of the way.
For the game, Krimili went 8for-13 from beyond the arc. She has 206 career treys, passing Shay Rollins (2005-09) by one for the program’s top spot.
“It feels really good to break records, but at the end of the day, my job is real easy because my teammates are trying to find me on the floor,” Krimili said. “I just have to make baskets.”
The Dons also got a gamehigh 19 rebounds from Kennedy Dickie.