Dec. 31, 2006

Final Stats

Tampa, Fla. - The University of South Florida's Solomon Bozeman ended the 2006 calendar year with a career-high 24 points to lead the Bulls past Bethune-Cookman College on Sunday by a count of 82-49 in a non-conference contest held at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. This was the second consecutive year the `Cats have played a road game on New Year's Eve.

Even though it was their seventh straight road game dating back to Nov. 25, the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman (2-8) must have felt as if Sunday's contest in Tampa was a home contest away from home. It was the first time since Dec. 2 the `Cats have played a game in the state of Florida ... though a mere two hours away from the Oceanside community of Daytona Beach. With the USF Bulls (8-5) up 47-21 at the break, B-CC cut into the lead and forced it down to a 20-point ballgame (56-36) with 11:57 remaining in the contest.

Back-to-back baskets, including the Wildcats only three-pointer of the game, from Josh Cummings (Chicago, Ill.) and a lay-up from John Anderson (Norway, S.C.) sliced into the Bulls lead as the `Cats surged out to a 9-0 run over the course of a four-minute span.

But with 9:17 remaining a series of events upset B-CC fifth-year head coach Cliff Reed, leading to his first and second technical fouls of the 2006-07 in a matter of 15 seconds. That, ultimately, led to his first ejection of the season as well.

"This is a game we look back at and try to, once again, take positives from," explained Reed following the contest. "We just have to learn from this game, as we have the last few games, and get ready for what is going to, without a question, a very tough Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) schedule. And that starts with a tough Coppin State ball club."

After the Reed ejection, assistant coach Gravelle Craig--in his third year with the program, took over the head coaching duties.

The Bulls abruptly took advantage of the four (4) free throw attempts, converting on all, and surged out to another 29-point lead over the course of the next two minutes of play. The lead would swell to as many as 35 when Eddie Lovett converted on two foul shots to make the score 79-44 with 2:17 remaining in the contest.

In the loss, Dewayne Pettus chipped in a team-high 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field for the Wildcats. Ron Mitchell and Anderson each added a team-high tying six rebounds a piece, but Anderson provided eight points off the bench as well. Jimmy Hudson, entering the game as the Wildcats only player averaging in double-figures, was held to just eight points, and failed to connect on a three-point basket for the first time this season.

"They were very physical with us today, and they pressured us a lot," stated Hudson. "We really hadn't seen a lot of pressure this year. This was a tough game because we really felt like we had a shot at winning this one. We just didn't take care of the ball or do the little things we needed to do in order to come out victorious."

The Bulls of USF were led by Bozeman and his 24-point performance, assisted by three other players in double figures. Melvin Buckley, the leading scorer for the Bulls, added 13 points, while teammates Kentrell Gransberry (12) and McHugh Mattis (10) rounded out the double-figuring scoring column for USF.

B-CC will now look to pull everything together and snap their current seven-game losing skid as they prepare for their second conference contest of the year when they travel to Baltimore, Md. to take on Coppin State on Jan. 3. It will also be the Wildcats eighth consecutive game on the road ... before finally returning to Moore Gymnasium on Jan. 6 against defending MEAC Tournament champion Hampton University.