TAMPA, FLA., JAN. 2, 2021 – David Collins had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as South Florida topped Central Florida 68-61 on Saturday night.
Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) also connected on seven free throws and became the all-time leader in American Athletic Conference history with 439.
Alexis Yetna (Paris) added 10 points and six rebounds and Michael Durr (Atlanta) grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth straight double-digit rebounding game.
Darius Perry scored a career-high 23 points and had six assists for the Knights (3-3, 1-2 American Athletic Conference). Darin Green Jr. added 14 points. Dre Fuller Jr. had eight rebounds.
UCF led the majority of the first half and took a 35-34 halftime lead after Jamile Reynolds scored the final basket of the half.
The Bulls opened the second half making five of their first seven shots to go ahead 45-38 on a Collins layup.
Russel Tchewa (Cameroon) put USF ahead 56-46 midway through the first half with a dunk off a pass from Collins, but UCF scored the next seven points to trim the lead down to three.
Xavier Castaneda (Chicago) stopped the run with a three-pointer to put USF back on top by six and USF held the Knights to just three field goals over the final seven minutes to preserve the win.
Notable
• Michael Durr grabbed 11 rebounds and has double digit boards in three straight games.
• David Collins became the AAC all-time leader in free throws made with 439.
• USF has won two straight over UCF in the War on I-4.
Key Stats
2 – USF held AAC scoring leader Brandon Mahan to two points.
34 – USF scored 34 points in the paint.
21 – USF scored 21 second chance points and finished with 14 offensive rebounds.
Up Next
USF continues American Athletic Conference play Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the Bulls welcome Tulsa to the Yuengling Center.
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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 over 300 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 College Basketball Invitational.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
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