By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, JAN. 12, 2020 – Seeking its first top-25 win since 2012, USF held a 14-point lead with less than 13 minutes to play before No. 21 Memphis pulled out a 68-64 victory in front of 5,209 fans at the Yuengling Center on Sunday.
David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) didn’t disappoint on national TV, scoring a game-high 24 points and providing the Bulls (8-9, 1-3 in AAC) with a thunderous dunk that gave them a 51-37 lead with 13:15 remaining.
Memphis (13-3, 2-1 in AAC) took control after Collins’ big play, getting 11 points apiece down the stretch from Precious Achiuwa and Tyler Harris. Achiuwafinished with a team-high 22 points and Harris had 17 points, as the Tigers snapped a two-game skid.
Ezacuras Dawson III (Miami) put together his fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season with 15 points. Justin Brown (Atlanta) added nine points in USF’s attempt at its first win over a top-25 team since defeating No. 19 Louisville, 58-51, on Feb. 29, 2012.
Aggressive on both ends of the floor from opening tip, USF jumped ahead by 12 in the opening half and headed into the break with a 37-29 advantage.
Collins led the way with 13 first-half points while Dawson and Michael Durr (Atlanta) had seven points apiece. Dawson scored five quick points during a 6-0 run and his three-pointer put the Bulls ahead, 37-25, with 2:11 to play in the half.
Durr helped the Bulls do damage inside, scoring six of their 16 first-half points in the paint. USF also made the most of its solid defensive efforts, scoring 16 points off 13 Memphis turnovers in the first period. The Tigers headed into the matchup that was called by college hoops legend Dick Vitale averaging 16.9 turnovers per game and finished with 22 against the Bulls.
Three Bulls knocked down USF’s first four baskets of the second half from long range before Collins’ fast-break dunk off a steal pumped the lead up to 14 with 13:15 to play. USF went 1-for-10 from the field the rest of the way in its second loss to a top-25 opponent by six points or less this season.
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory on the hard-fought loss to No. 21 Memphis:
“Give them a ton of credit. They kept searching, searching, searching to try to kind of find the right alignment of guys and different things to do. They just hung in there and kept it within striking distance. We went through a little bit of a cold spell shooting and we weren’t able to get the defensive stops during that time that we needed to get. We had some defensive breakdowns obviously during that stretch and when you do that, they’re so offensively gifted and long. They’re able to play behind you and able to get to the basket on some different things. I thought our guys played their hearts out. I thought they played really hard.”
Memphis head coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway on the David Collins-led Bulls:
“We hung in there. We knew this was a tough place to play. Their record doesn’t indicate how well they play at home, how well they play together. David Collins, man, he’s an unbelievable player. He’s one of the most underrated players in the country.”
Notable
- USF was seeking its first win over a top-25 opponent since beating No. 19 Louisville, 58-51, on Feb. 29, 2012.
- Finishing with a game-high 24 points, David Collins posted the 18th 20-point game of his career and third of the season.
- David Collins is seven points away from a tie for 16th on USF’s all-time scoring list with Fred Lewis (1,105 points from 1989-92).
- USF held Memphis 10 points below its previous season scoring average. The Bulls headed into the week ranked 46th in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 62.4 points per outing.
Key Stats
1-for-10 – USF made one of its last 10 attempts from the field.
30 – USF scored 30 points off 22 Memphis turnovers.
57.1 – Memphis’ shooting percentage from the field in the second half.
Up Next
USF travels to Orlando for a War on I-4 clash with rival UCF that’s set for Saturday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. (TV: ESPNU).
The Bulls are back at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to host No. 23 Wichita State at 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
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.
