Dons overcome Big Green rally, 71-69

ANCHORAGE – San Francisco guard Michael Williams scored a game-high 23 points Wednesday to help his team hang on for a 71-69 victory over Dartmouth in the opening round of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout at Sullivan Arena.

The Dons (5-1) also got 18 points and three assists from starting guard Rashad Green and 16 points from forward Angelo Caloiaro as they fought off a furious Dartmouth rally in the final minutes.

The Big Green (1-3) was led by 19 points from senior forward David Rufful and 17 points from guard R.J. Griffin.

Dartmouth – the first Ivy League school to play in the 34-year-old tournament – was fast out of the gate, jumping to leads of 8-0 and 21-15, but USF finally found its shooting stroke and went on a 13-0 run in the final three minutes of the first half.

The Big Green responded early in the second half, however, and retook the lead 40-39 on a jumper by Gabas Maldunas at the 11:36 mark. That would be Dartmouth's final lead before USF went on a 13-2 spurt to take command.

The USF advantage would waver between one and eight points throughout the final seven minutes, with Dartmouth slicing it to 69-68 on a Ruffel three-pointer with 26 seconds left. After Williams split a pair of free throws, Griffin launched a three-pointer from the wing that would have given his team the lead with 9 seconds remaining, but it bounced long and into the hands of USF's Avery Johnson.

Johnson made just one of two as well, but USF coach Rex Walters called for a foul on the ensuing possession to prevent a possible tying three-pointer. Jabari Trotter split his free throws with 4.7 seconds on the clock, and Dartmouth could not catch a Dons player to foul as they played keep-away for the final ticks.

USF moves on to meet Murray State in Friday's 5:30 p.m. AST semifinal, while Dartmouth will face host Alaska Anchorage in the consolation semis Friday at noon.

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