TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 4, 2020 (AP) – Laquincy Rideau had 17 points and six assists, David Collins scored 15 points, and South Florida beat UConn 75-60 on Saturday.
The Bulls (8-7, 1-1 American) also got 12 points and nine rebounds from Michael Durr (Atlanta).
James Bouknight had 11 points for UConn (9-5, 0-2 American), which was coming off a 67-51 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday night in the conference opener.
UConn got within 12 with eight minutes remaining but Rideau’s layup completed a 7-0 run that made it 70-51.
Justin Brown (Atlanta) put USF ahead 53-38 on a 3-pointer with 15 1/2 minutes to play.
South Florida went 21 of 29 from the free-throw line. UConn made 10 of 16.
Rashun Williams (Arlington, Ga.) extended the Bulls lead to 61-42 midway through the second half. That surge came during a four-minute scoreless stretch by UConn.
Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 13 points as USF took a 39-32 halftime advantage. He had a 3-point play and added a layup during a 12-2 run that put the Bulls up 39-29.
Alterique Gilbert cut the UConn deficit to seven on a long-range jumper with 9 seconds left in the first half.
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory’s thoughts on the win:
“We needed to defend better than we have been, we needed to rebound better and we needed to move and share the ball better. We were able to do that against a long, athletic team that was coming off a loss just like us. The game didn’t start out all that well, but we hung in there those first couple of minutes. I looked up and I thought we were down 12-0, but it was only 6-0 because we did get a few stops. I liked our offense, we had some shots at the rim and we were doing what we wanted to do. I’m really pleased with the response. We had a great crowd with great energy that got to see a really good college basketball game.”
Notable
• USF finished with at least 10 steals for the fifth time this season and for the second straight game.
• Michael Durr grabbed at least seven rebounds for the fourth straight game.
• David Collins scored 15 points and moved into 17th place all-time at USF with 1,060 career points.
• Laquincy Rideau has at least five assists in seven of the last nine games.
Key Stats
14 – USF had 10 offensive rebounds and held a 14-3 advantage in second chance points.
72.4 – USF took 29 free throws and shot 72.4 percent from the line.
0 – USF held UConn leading rebounder Josh Carlton to zero rebounds and just two points.
Up Next
USF continues conference play Tuesday at 7 p.m. when the Bulls travel to Greenville, N.C. to face East Carolina at Minges Coliseum.
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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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