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Bulls Come Up Short Vs. Cavs

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: November 20, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Sylven Landesberg scored on a layup with 13 seconds left and sank a free throw six seconds later to seal Virginia's 77-75 victory against the University of South Florida on Wednesday night.

Landesberg finished with 21 points for the Cavaliers (2-0), and Jamil Tucker added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win. Tucker also went 2-for-3 from behind the arc.
Dominique Jones scored a game-high 23 for the Bulls (1-1), and Jesus Verdejo added 22 and was 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

The Bulls shot 49.2 percent from the field (32-for-65) compared to a 40.3 mark (27-for-67) for the Cavaliers, but went just 6-for-12 from the free-throw line. The Cavaliers sank 18 of their 28 free throws.

"Had we won, I would have said this was a fun and entertaining game," USF coach Stan Heath said. "I thought both teams played well and the game could have gone either way. The free throws were the huge difference. We didn't make ours, and they did. That was the part we just could not quite overcome."

Landesberg said he relishes taking the big shot.

"Definitely," he said. "I live for those moments, just being able to make that last shot."

In a game with 19 lead changes, the teams were tied at 34 at halftime, and they were tied at 71 with 2 minutes left. Landesberg scored five of Virginia's final six points; the other came on a free throw by Tucker with 1:19 remaining.

Tucker came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points and grab seven rebounds in 27 minutes.

"The Tucker kid was the biggest surprise," Heath said.

Jeff White of Media General News Service contributed to this report.

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