TAMPA, FLA., FEB. 15, 2020 – Brandon Rachal scored 18 points with six rebounds and Tulsa held off a second half charge from South Florida for a 56-48 win Saturday afternoon at the Yuengling Center.
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) paced USF with 14 points and five rebounds, while Justin Brown (Atlanta) and Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) each added 10 points.
Tulsa (17-8, 9-3) took its largest lead of the game early in the second half when Jeriah Horne gave the Golden Hurricane a 30-16 advantage with a three-pointer from the wing. USF answered with a 10-0 run and pulled within four points after two free throws from Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) with just under 13 minutes remaining.
After Tulsa pushed the lead back to nine midway through the half, Collins used a layup and a three-pointer to help USF trim the lead down the four, 39-35. Tulsa scored the next four points and extended its last back to eight.
USF (11-14, 4-8) got within five points twice in the last two minutes, but Tulsa made five of its six free throws over the final 23 seconds to hold on for its second straight win.
Quotable
Head Coach Brian Gregory on the game against Tulsa:
“I didn’t think we played exceptionally well against one of the better teams in our league. The guys that we have to count on have some statistical things that we need to get better at, and they’ve proven that they’ve been able to do that. We have to take care of the ball better and you have to be able to make some of those open shots. It’s always a tough spot when you are a little shorthanded, but at the same time, you’re very close to being able to break through. I was disappointed that we weren’t playing with that same focus and energy in the first half that we normally have. It’s natural, very common, but to get this program where we all want it, you cannot be common. That’s just something we have to keep fighting for every single day.”
Notable
• David Collins scored 14 points and moved into 13th place all-time at USF with 1,191 career points.
• Laquincy Rideau finished with one steal and moved into eight on the USF single-season steals list with 59.
• USF held its 11th opponent of the season under 60 points.
• USF limited Tulsa to 56 points and held its 23rd opponent of the season under its scoring average.
Key Stats
12 – Tulsa scored outscored USF by 12 at the free throw line and had 13 more attempts.
18 – Tulsa forced 18 turnovers and capitalized with 20 points off USF miscues.
Up Next
USF embarks on a two-game road trip that begins Thursday at 7 p.m. (EST) at Wichita State.
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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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