headed, hot-handed freshman Four McGlynn, who topped the Catamounts with 18 points, led the way in a 13-0 first-half run that gave Vermont a lead that it never let slip away in a 71-59 victory over Lamar. In the nightcap, South Florida's nasty defense flirted with perfection in paving the way to a stunning 36-13 halftime lead — yes, you read that right, 36-13 — before cruising to a 65-54 win. The win by Vermont (24-11) sends it into a second-round matchup with top-seeded North Carolina on Friday in Greensboro. The Catamounts, champions of the America East tournament, played gritty defense and also shot 50 percent from the field, blending an inside presence with McGlynn's touch from the perimeter. Devon Lamb and Mike James each had 16 points and Anthony Miles 14 for Lamar (23-12), which had won six in a row since first-year coach Pat Knight ripped his seniors after a loss in late February. He said then that they were “stealing money being on scholarship” and that his players had problems “off the court, on the court, classroom, drugs.” S. Florida 65, California 54: Every bump and swat threw yet another chill into a California team that had never seen anything like it. The Bulls introduced the Big East's nastiest defense to the NCAA tournament Wednesday night, allowing only 13 points in the first half of a 65-54 victory over a California team that went long stretches without a single point. “We get mad when people score, no matter what kind of bucket it is,” said Victor Rudd, who had 15 points. “And that's what makes us have people scoring in the 50s, 40s. We don't like it when people score at all, not even on a free throw. So we get mad at each other, and that's how we play great defense.” South Florida (21-13) will play No. 5 seed Temple in Nashville on Friday, a matchup of teams known for gritty defense. Few have been better than this one for the first 20 minutes on the NCAA stage. Guard Jorge Gutierrez, the Pac-12 player of the year, was held to 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. California managed only five field goals in the first half.
