FORT WORTH, TEXAS, MARCH 11, 2021 – Eighth-seeded USF defeated the No. 9 seed Temple, 73-71, in the first game of the 2021 Air Force Reserve American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
After surviving a late flurry from the Owls (5-11), the Bulls (9-12) will face No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Wichita State on Friday, March 12 at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on ESPN2. The game will be a rematch of the regular-season finale for both schools, an 80-63 Shocker victory on March 6 in Wichita, Kan.
USF gradually built a lead in the second half and led 67-56 with 2:12 remaining before Brendan Barry buried three consecutive 3-point field goals to cut the lead to two with 1:07 remaining, but that was as close as the Owls would come. After a pair of missed USF free throws with five second left, Temple had a chance with the clock running down, but could not get a shot off.
USF’s David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) led all scorers with 23 points, while Michael Durr (Atlanta, Ga.) posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Khalif Battle recorded a double-double for the Owls with a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The Owls started off the game strong, jumping out to a 14-4 lead, while holding the Bulls to just 1-of-9 shooting. After being down 27-17 with 7:00 remaining in the first half, USF scored seven straight points in the next minute and went on to take the lead at halftime, 38-37, on a put-back by Durr at the buzzer.
Notable
• USF won its first game at the AAC Tournament since a win over East Carolina in 2016.
• David Collins turned in his 20th career game with 20 points.
• Michael Durr registered his second career double-double with his 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Key Stats
7 – USF committed only seven turnovers and forced Temple into 10 miscues.
15 – Temple missed 15 consecutive shots in the second half.
22 – USF received 22 points off the bench led by the 12 of Jamir Chaplin.
Up Next
USF continues its quest for an American Athletic Tournament title Friday at 12 p.m. (EST) when the Bulls face top-seeded Wichita State in the quarterfinals in Fort Worth, Texas.
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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.
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