MEMPHIS, TENN., FEB. 8, 2020 (AP) – David Collins made a layup with 59 seconds remaining to give South Florida the lead en route to a 75-73 win over Memphis on Saturday. Collins followed his key score with a jump shot to help wrap up the win for the Bulls.
Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) and Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) scored 21 points apiece to lead the Bulls. Rideau also had six rebounds.
Justin Brown (Atlanta) had 14 points and and a career-best 16 rebounds for South Florida (11-12, 4-6 American Athletic Conference). Rashun Williams (Arlington, Ga.) added seven rebounds.
Tyler Harris had 17 points for the Tigers (17-6, 6-4). Alex Lomax added 14 points. Boogie Ellis had 14 points.
The Bulls evened the season series against the Tigers with the win. Then-No. 21 Memphis defeated South Florida 68-64 on Jan. 12.
Quotable
Head Coach Brian Gregory on the win over Memphis:
“We felt we let some things slip away in the first game, especially defensively and on the glass, but I thought we had a great chance to come in here and get a win if we tightened those things up. To the credit of our guys, they played with great toughness, energy and intensity, and stuck together during some tough times during the game. When Memphis made runs, we were able to respond, which was key. When Laquincy Rideau and David Collins play that way, we’re really, really good. Then we get Justin Brown to play that way, and we did a really good job on the glass. I’m proud of our guys and I’m proud of the energy they played with against a really good team.
Notable
• David Collins scored 21 points and moved into 15th place all-time at USF with 1,164 career points.
• Justin Brown finished with 14 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to register his second career double-double.
• Saturday was the first time ever any USF team won back-to-back games on the road at Memphis.
Key Stats
15 – USF finished with 15 offensive rebounds and limited Memphis to only six.
3 – USF committed just three turnovers in the second half.
70 – USF shot 70.8 percent from the free throw line.
6 – USF held Memphis leading scorer Precious Achiuwa to just six points.
Up Next
USF returns to the Yuengling Center Wednesday at 9 p.m. when the Bulls host No. 25 Houston on ESPNU.
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.
– #GoBulls –
