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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Freshman guard Matt Carlino scored a career-high 30 points, including a game-winning basket with 21 seconds remaining, as Brigham Young beat San Francisco 85-84 Thursday night for its sixth victory in seven games.
Angelo Caloiaro scored 23 for USF, but he missed an open look at the 3-point line on the Dons' final, frantic possession. San Francisco's Cody Doolin and BYU's Anson Windsor were fighting for the rebound as time expired.
Noah Hartsock, the West Coast Conference's leading scorer, had 16 points and Charles Abouo 15 for the Cougars (22-6, 10-3), who didn't trail until Rashad Green hit a jumper from the foul line with 47 seconds remaining. That put San Francisco (17-11, 7-7) ahead 84-83.
After Caloiaro recovered nicely to block Hartsock from behind on the baseline, Perris Blackwell had an opportunity to extend San Francisco's lead with 28 seconds remaining, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one situation.
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Carlino immediately drove downcourt, penetrated to the rim and fired up a 3-footer over Blackwell for the lead. Carlino, a transfer from UCLA who became eligible for BYU on Dec. 17, became the first Cougar to go for 30 points since Jimmer Fredette last season.
After a Dons timeout, Green missed a jumper. Doolin corralled the offensive rebound and fed Caloiaro, who had 10 points in the final 4:43, to no avail.
The Cougars, won who the Mountain West regular-season title last year before switching conferences, stayed one game behind WCC-leading Saint Mary's (12-2) in the loss column.
Blackwell had 18 points and 11 rebounds for USF, and Doolin added 16 points, seven assists and six boards. Caloiaro also grabbed six rebounds and dealt five assists for the Dons, who lost for only the second time in their last seven. Green scored 12 and Cole Dickerson 10.
Abouo finished with six rebounds and a team-high four assists for BYU, which had to go small with big men Brandon Davies and Nate Austin battling foul trouble.
Despite shooting 53.7 percent, including 41.2 percent on 3-pointers, the Cougars never could deliver an early knockout blow. BYU led by eight points with less than 6 minutes remaining but couldn't protect that advantage.
Carlino's initial burst powered BYU to a 30-19 lead at the 12:10 mark. The Dons didn't fold, however, and trailed 49- 44 at halftime behind 11 points from Doolin and 10 from Blackwell.
BYU shot 57.1 percent in the first half and USF 56.7 as the teams played the first 20 minutes at a breakneck pace more familiar to the Cougars, who came in ranked 12th in the NCAA at 79.4 points per game.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
