USF Senior Writer

Box Score

The Bulls learned lessons on the road that could prove to be valuable down the stretch.

The USF men's basketball team saw the most defensive pressure it has faced all season in a 69-46 road loss to VCU on Wednesday night in Richmond, Va.

The Bulls (5-3) had their two-game winning streak snapped after VCU's trap defense contributed to USF's 26 percent field goal percentage in the second half.

"We didn't handle the double teams very well," head coach Stan Heath said.

Ron Anderson Jr. led the Bulls once again with 15 points and nine rebounds. Victor Rudd Jr. was the only other USF player in double figures with 10 points.

Freshman point guard Anthony Collins got his first-career start and came through with six assists, but also committed six turnovers.

"Anthony really is a good ball handler, but he tried to dribble it through people," Heath said. "Sometimes we were able to score out of it and several times turned it over. He'll learn as a freshman point guard that he doesn't have to be by himself. We have to help him a little more."

Chalk it up as a learning experience for Collins and the rest of the Bulls, who have yet to face many hostile crowds on the road this season.

"They have a lot to learn, how to handle this," Heath said. "It was a great environment. VCU put the pressure on and we didn't handle it like we were supposed to."

Another thing USF couldn't control was the fact that it was limited in numbers with only seven players and a walk-on in the lineup. It especially wore down the Bulls inside with Anderson and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick having to go up against numerous VCU big men for a long period of time.

"They kind of had a little bit of numbers out there," Anderson Jr. said. "It was me and Toarlyn for a long time and they kept rolling a lot of bigs in."

USF has a day to heal up more before it heads to Kansas to face the No. 15 Jayhawks 5:15 p.m. Saturday in a game televised on ESPN2.