SUNRISE, FLA., DEC. 21, 2019 (AP) – No. 19-ranked Florida State overcame a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes and beat South Florida 66-60 Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic.
The Seminoles forced 24 turnovers and outscored the Bulls 19-3 down the stretch. RaiQuan Gray had 11 points, seven rebounds and three of Florida State’s 13 steals. Anthony Polite, Trent Forrest and M.J. Walker also scored 11 points apiece.
A flurry of nine points in 39 seconds by the Bulls — including a pair of 3s and two free technical foul free throws — helped them lead 57-47 with 6:32 to go. Devin Vassell’s jumper with two minutes left put Florida State in front after USF lead by as many as 10 points in the second half.
Michael Durr (Atlanta) had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Bulls, while David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) and Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) each finished with 14. Both Durr and Rideau each grab seven rebounds to help USF hold a 42-28 advantage on the glass.
USF (6-6) led by as many as 13 points in the first half and used a layup at the buzzer from Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) to go ahead 31-28 at halftime.
Notable
• USF has held 11 of its 12 opponents below their season scoring average.
• USF has finished with more offensive rebounds than every opponent but one this season.
• David Collins made three free throws and move into third place all-time at USF with 335.
Key Stats
21 – Florida State scored 21 points off 24 USF turnovers.
38 – USF scored 38 points in the paint and received a team-high 15 points from Michael Durr.
14 – USF finished with 14 more rebounds than Florida State (42-28).
0 – Florida State finished with zero offensive rebounds
Up Next
USF returns to the Yuengling Center on Sunday, Dec. 29 to face Florida Atlantic at 5 p.m. in the final game of the non-conference schedule.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s’ basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Men’s Basketball
The USF men’s basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State’s Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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