Antigua Era Opens with 77-72 Exhibition Win
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 8, 2014 – Veterans and newcomers shined for the Bulls in their 77-72 exhibition victory over IU-Pennsylvania before an electric crowd of 2,996 at the Sun Dome on Saturday afternoon.
"I'm really excited we were able to pull out the win against a really, really well coached, quality team in IUP," head coach Orlando Antigua said. "It's a veteran team that's been to some NCAA games, and for our first outing I was glad we were able to come collectively together and play the way we did."
Junior point guard Anthony Collins missed the majority of last season with a knee injury and looked to be in midseason form, scoring a game-high 22 points after going 5-for-10 from the field and 12-for-12 at the free throw line.
"It felt like I was coming out of high school again for my first college game all over again, but when the ball was tipped in the air I was fine," said Collins, who dished out four assists and grabbed five rebounds.
Senior guard Corey Allen Jr. improved his game in the Drew League this summer and used an aggressive style to score 17 points and go 6-for-12 from the field. Joining Collins and Allen Jr. in double figures was newcomer Jaleel Cousins, a 6-foot-11 junior center, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half. The younger brother of NBA star DeMarcus Cousins finished 4-for-5 from the field and 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
"He did a great job offensively," Antigua said. "He is a huge presence, really long and really strong, and I was happy he made his free throws."
Collins led the Bulls with 12 points in a first half that finished with both teams even at 37. Cousins heated up quickly after the break with seven points in the first 5 minutes to help the Bulls grab a 49-45 advantage against IUP, which gave Pitt a battle in a 72-58 loss on Oct. 31.
The lead changed hands twice before the Bulls jumped out on a 19-5 run that was capped off with a steal and thunderous dunk by redshirt freshman guard Bo Ziegler, which spotted USF a 68-57 advantage with 7:57 remaining.
IUP worked its deficit down to 75-72 with 1:54 remaining and the Bulls shut the door on the comeback attempt with a pair of free throws by Collins with 10 seconds left on the clock. Freshman guard Troy Holston Jr. finished with eight points after making two of USF's five 3-pointers and redshirt freshman forward Dre Clayton added seven points while helping the Bulls shoot 43 percent from the field.
"There were some ups and downs, and for a young team to be able to have a lead, get close to losing it and respond to finish out a game this early I was impressed with that," Antigua said. "I was impressed with the leadership more than anything else Anthony Collins did. With his leadership when stuff started going up and down he was talking, he was organizing, he was bringing the guys together and that's what we need from guys with experience."
Antigua also was pleased with the boost the Bulls received a week before the season opener, especially from a packed student section that made it tough on IUP in the second half.
"We were very happy and I'm glad that people came to support," Antigua said. "Hopefully they like what they saw, they like the spirit we have and they like the competitiveness and the intensity that we played with. Hopefully we get more people to come out. It was great for an exhibition game."
Fans' next chance to watch the Bulls is Friday, Nov. 14, when the program gets the regular season started against Flagler College at the Sun Dome. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can purchase tickets HERE.
