USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, NOV. 14, 2014 – Head coach Orlando Antigua and USF men's basketball made a dashing season debut Friday night with a 75-61 victory over Flagler College before a crowd of 3,621 at the Sun Dome.

Sophomore forward Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) led three Bulls in double figures with 18 points and the defense turned up the heat as the Saints shot 33 percent from the field in the first meeting between the programs. Newcomer Nehemias Morillo, a junior guard from the Dominican Republic, posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, while senior guard Corey Allen Jr. (St. Louis, Mo.) added 10 points.

"I'm happy for the guys. There are a lot of players there that this is their first victory, their first time competing in the season opener," Antigua said. "I'm excited and happy for them more than anything else."

USF provided a lot of excitement for its home fans while building a 45-27 lead by halftime. The Bulls started the game on a 19-6 run with six quick points coming from freshman guard Troy Holston Jr. (Queens, N.Y.). Flagler started 9-for-32 from the field (28.1 percent) and had a hard time defending the Bulls in the paint. Perry had 10 points by halftime as USF started with a 28-18 advantage from close range.

USF began the second half with a 20-point lead before Flagler cut the deficit to 52-40 on a layup by Desmond Gibson with 13:12 remaining, but that's as the Saints got on a night that saw the Bulls lead from start to finish.

"I think we did a great job (defensively) in the first half," Antigua said. "In the second half they kind of started off really hot and we had to settle back down into our defensive principles and make it difficult. I was happy we got back to doing what we were doing and having success."

Flagler tried to do some damage from long range but went 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the program's second consecutive game against an American Athletic Conference team. The Saints knocked down seven 3-pointers in a loss to UCF on Nov. 4 in Orlando.

"I thought (USF) did a great job defensively," Saints head coach Bo Clark said. "They really had tremendous ball pressure. They knew our shooters and we really struggled with our 3-point shooting."

The Bulls had little trouble scoring in the first half, shooting 51.5 percent, and shot 43.3 percent for the game with nine different playing scoring. Senior point guard Anthony Collins (Houston) finished with eight points and distributed the ball well in his first regular season game since Dec. 19, 2013 against Florida A&M. Collins played in only eight games last season because of a knee injury.

"AC did an unbelievable job running the show and finding guys with seven assists," Antigua said.

Redshirt freshman forward Dre Clayton (Orlando) finished with eight points and junior center Jaleel Cousins (Mobile, Ala.) added six points and six assists in the first of two games this weekend at the Sun Dome. USF is back in action 2 p.m. Sunday against Jackson State and fans can purchase tickets HERE.