I tori rifiniscono con un'annotazione tre e due

[Triple B]

European Tour Ends With 74-71 Loss To Fulgor Basket Omegna

OMEGNA, Italy (August 21, 2006) – A furious second-half rally fell short as the University of South Florida men’s basketball team dropped the finale of its European tour, falling 74-71 to Fulgor Basket Omegna Monday night in Italy.

The Bulls concluded the trip with a 3-2 record, falling to a pair of league champions in the final two outings.

“You really can’t evaluate the plusses and advantages of the trip at this time,†head coach Robert McCullum said.  “Our hope is to reap the benefits of the experience and confidence gained as the upcoming season progresses.â€Â

Senior Melvin Buckley netted a tour-best 36 points to pace the squad offensively and classmate McHugh Mattis added 19 points and 21 rebounds.  Forward Melvyn Richardson was the only other Bull in double figures, finishing with 11 points.

Trailing by 10 points early in the third quarter, USF’s offensive attack caught fire and by the end of the frame the team had turned the deficit into a 60-53 advantage.  The 25-8 run was capped by a 30-foot 3-pointer by senior Chris Capko as the buzzer sounded to conclude the stanza.

The Bulls were able to maintain their advantage in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, but Omegna eventually knotted the score at 67-67.  Buckley’s final trey of the contest put USF up three points at 70-67, but turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch proved to be the difference.

Despite the miscues, USF still had two chances to force overtime in the final seconds.  Buckley had a 3-pointer from the right wing bounce off the rim out of a timeout and Capko’s shot at the buzzer came up just short.  Capko’s attempt came after a pair of missed Omegna charity tosses.

“I thought the guys did a great job in a very physical game,†McCullum said.  “I think fatigue became a factor, but they gave it all they had.â€Â

The Bulls trailed 38-30 at the intermission after Buckley and Mattis took care of the offensive load.  The duo accounted for all but four points in the first half and was the only to score until a Richardson layup at the 2:55 mark of the second quarter.

“We really want to thank the supporters who made the trip with us and the hundreds of others as well who made the trip possible financially,†McCullum said.  “The continued support of the administration is also greatly appreciated.â€Â

TOUR UPDATE:  The travel party arrived in Como well after 1 a.m. Monday morning ... the group took a boat cruise on Lake Como to Bellagio in the morning before departing for the final game mid-afternoon ... the city of Omegna closed during the game for a week-long celebration, so the travel party was forced to take cars to meet the bus at the edge of town ... USF’s dedicated supporters, who until the final game could sit anywhere in the arena, were part of a capacity crowd at the finale ... Tuesday’s itinerary includes a shopping trip to Milan and a relaxing final night in Italy ... the group departs early Wednesday morning and is due to arrive in Tampa after 6 p.m

[Joe]

Rough end to the trip. Least they got the expierence of a lifetime.

[flsportsfan83]

a winning record on the trip. Wow lets sign CRM up for another 5 years. I'm so excited we may win the Big east this year.

[Rabbi Bull]

I think your missing the point of the trip Randy.  The whole point of it was to give the guys some confidence in their game, after a dissappointing season.  Now going into this season the guys will have more confidence in their shot, their defense, and in each other.  It brings the team together.  Playing 5 games in a week, is a tough thing to do and especially with only 6 players, it gets tiring.  I'm impressed with what the team was able to do, winning 3 out of 5 games is good, especially with only 6 guys.  Going down the stretch I'm pretty sure everybody knew they would get tired, it's only natural for them to be.  I think you need to stop worrying about your hatred for Coach McCullum, and look at the big picture.  You don't like the Coach, support the players, because they put their hearts into every game.  If you can not see that, then there is no hope for you.

[flsportsfan83]

Oh I will be there supporting The Bulls every game. Do I like the direction things are going? No. But Do I still love USF? You bet I do.

[Triple B]

I think your missing the point of the trip Randy.

Inconceivable.

[beastiebull]

We definetly appreciate the effort however anybody who CANNOT SEE THE PATTERN of ALWAYS BEING SHORT OF PLAYERS has blinders on.  

No matter what time of the season, no matter what country they are playing in, you can always be assured that mac will have his built in excuse of not enough roster players to field a competitive team.  THAT, gets effing tiring....

[Velcro]

so does your whining

[beastiebull]

You wouldn't have to hear my whining if your boy could keep more than 6 players on his roster.

[Triple B]

We definetly appreciate the effort however anybody who CANNOT SEE THE PATTERN of ALWAYS BEING SHORT OF PLAYERS has blinders on.  

No matter what time of the season, no matter what country they are playing in, you can always be assured that mac will have his built in excuse of not enough roster players to field a competitive team.  THAT, gets effing tiring....

This would be a more valid whine if it was January 07 instead of August 06 but I guess you feel the need to get the shots in whenever possible .....