HOUSTON, TEXAS, DEC. 18, 2019 (AP) – Sam Merrill had 21 points and Justin Bean made the game-winning bucket at the end of overtime as Utah State defeated South Florida 76-74 in overtime at the Battleground 2K19 on Wednesday night.
Utah State had possession after a timeout with 34 seconds left in overtime and the score tied at 74. The Aggies worked the clock to about 5 seconds and Abel Porter missed a 3-pointer. Bean grabbed the offensive rebound, stepped to the right side of the basket and beat the buzzer with a short bank shot.
A 3-pointer from David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) gave USF a 64-62 lead with 1:42 remaining in the second half and he later added two free throws for a four-point lead. Utah State’s Neemias Queta and Bean both scored in the paint to send the game to overtime.
Queta had 18 points and Bean added 12 points for Utah State (11-2). Alphonso Anderson also had 12 points for the Aggies.
Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 15 points for the Bulls (6-5). Collins added 15 points and Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) scored 12. Antun Maricevic (Zagreb, Croatia) played a career-high 25 minutes and finished with 10 points and made all six of his free throws.
Notable
• USF has held 10 of its 11 opponents below their season scoring average.
• USF has forced opponents to commit at least 17 turnovers in three straight games.
• David Collins scored 15 points and moved into 18th-place all-time in scoring at USF.
Key Stats
17 – USF caused 17 Utah State turnovers. Utah State entered the game averaging only 11.3 per game.
25 – Antun Maricevic played a career-high 25 minutes and scored 10 points.
42 – USF scored 42 points in the paint.
Up Next
USF travels to Sunrise, Fla., for a matchup against Florida State on Saturday at noon in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.
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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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