Role players chipping in for Bulls

It was one basket, but one that University of South Florida leading scorer Dominique Jones didn't have to score in Sunday's upset of No. 17 Pittsburgh.

With the shot clock running down midway through the first half, reserve center Alex Rivas found the ball in his hands. The chance for Rivas to get a decent shot off was slim, prompting Mike Mercer to cut to the basket.

Rivas saw him and delivered a perfect pass as the shot clock expired. Mercer's layup gave the Bulls a 10-point lead, and at least on one possession, took some of the pressure off Jones, who finished with a game-high 37 points, his average during the Bulls' unprecedented three-game Big East win streak entering tonight's game at No. 7 Georgetown.

"That play just showed our teamwork at its highest potential," Mercer said Tuesday. "That's the way we've been playing the last three games, and we just want to keep it up."

For the Bulls (14-7, 4-5) to continue to reel off wins, role players such as Rivas, Mercer and point guard Anthony Crater must produce. Rivas and Crater didn't join the team until midseason, and Mercer, who missed most of last season after a knee injury, is just starting to feel like himself.

USF coach Stan Heath is relying on Rivas and Crater more each game off the bench. Crater takes some of the ball-handling pressure off Jones and starting point guard Chris Howard, and Rivas provides another big body underneath in the absence of injured forward Gus Gilchrist.

"They have been a tremendous benefit," Heath said.

Rivas endured offseason leg surgery and still suffers from tendinitis, but he is getting in better shape by playing extended minutes. While this isn't the senior season the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder envisioned, it's one he has embraced.

"I'm coming off the bench to give my teammates some minutes to rest and to bang inside," he said. "That's what I'm here for right now. I know my role."

Meanwhile, Crater has struggled offensively since becoming eligible to play last month after transferring from Ohio State, but his speed and ability to push the ball up the court have provided the Bulls with a different tempo than when Howard and Jones run the offense.

Crater is confident his shot will come around - he is shooting less than 30 percent - and is focused on other parts of his game.

"Anybody coming off the bench needs to produce," Crater said. "I try to come in and bring energy, play defense, and try to get into the mix. I'm trying to be the floor general when I'm out there and making sure everybody stays involved."

And they all know that as good as Jones has been of late, he will cool off. That's when the role players will be tested.

"No one is hot forever," Mercer said. "We are just going to let him keep doing what he's been doing, and when his flame burns out, everybody has to step up and pick up the slack."

Women result

USF 61, VILLANOVA 51

The Bulls (13-8, 4-4 Big East), who overcame a nine-point halftime deficit, received 15 points from KaNeisha Saunders, 14 from Janae Stokes and 10 from Leondra Doomes-Stephens.