USF Senior Writer

TAMPA – The Bulls couldn't overcome lengthy scoring droughts in the second half of a 65-60 loss to Detroit before a crowd of 3,225 at the Sun Dome on Saturday night.

USF (4-2) trailed by as many as six in the second half and cut its deficit to 58-57 with a free throw by senior Martino Brock with 54 seconds remaining, but the Bulls didn't knock down the shots they needed to down the stretch in their second consecutive loss.

"It's a very disappointing loss for us. I definitely felt it was a game we should have won," head coach Stan Heath said.

Detroit (4-4) kept a USF comeback out of reach by going 25-for-28 at the free throw line and finishing with a 43-35 rebounding advantage. The Titans didn't make a field goal in the final 3 minutes but went 8-for-9 at the free throw line to finish off the win.

"Our free throw shooting was the difference in the game," Detroit head coach Ray McCallum said.

USF headed into halftime with a 31-23 advantage thanks in large part to its defense that forced 10 turnovers while Detroit started 9-for-32 from the field.

The lead changed hands three times before USF seized control with an 11-0 run in the first meeting between the programs. Javontae Hawkins' 3-pointer gave USF a 21-19 lead with 6:06 to play in the period and the Bulls followed with consecutive dunks by Brock, Hawkins and Victor Rudd before Anthony Collins capped off the run with a jumper.

Brock scored half of USF's points during a game-opening 8-0 run and went into halftime with a team-high eight points after starting 4-for-6 from the field. Brock finished with a season-high 16 points, while Rudd was the only other Bull in double figures with 11 points.

Detroit started the second half on a 12-2 run and took a 35-33 lead on a jumper by Juwan Howard Jr. while the Bulls went 1-for-6 from the field and turned the ball over four times. Brock's layup with 16:31 remaining marked USF's first points of the second half and the Bulls didn't get another field goal until Brock made another layup with 14:02 to play. 

Another Howard jumper spotted the Titans a 40-36 lead before Chris Perry ended another 2-minute USF scoring drought with a layup.

"The first 4 minutes of the second half our energy was not right," Heath said. "We were flat, and I thought they got momentum going and they never seemed to let up."

USF got right back into it in the final minute with Brock's free throw but went 0-for-3 from long range before Musa Abdul-Aleem's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 63-60 with 19 seconds remaining. Abdul-Aleem had a shot at tying things up with 9 seconds remaining, but his 3-point attempt rimmed out and Matthew Grant sealed the victory for the Titans with a pair of free throws.

The Bulls finished 3-for-18 from 3-point range and shot 29 percent in the second half a game after falling to No. 5/8 Oklahoma State, 93-67, at the Sun Dome on Monday night.

"The numbers speak for themselves – poor rebounding, poor shooting and a lot of fouls. That's a bad recipe," Heath said.

The Bulls will hit the road for the second time this season to face George Mason on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. USF won the first meeting between the programs, 61-57, on Dec. 29, 2012 at the Sun Dome.

"We've got to regroup. I think this team can turn the corner," Heath said.