USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, DEC. 23, 2014 – The Bulls finished up a busy stretch of basketball with a solid, all-around effort in a 78-63 win over Southeastern Louisiana at the Sun Dome Tuesday afternoon.

USF (6-6) made a season-high seven 3-pointers, owned the paint by outscoring the Lions, 40-26, and finished with a 40-29 advantage on the boards.

"I was really happy for our guys to taste a little success after all the hard work they've been putting in," said head coach Orlando Antigua after the Bulls played four games in nine days.

Corey Allen Jr. led four Bulls in double figures with 19 points after going 7-for-14 from the field and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. The senior guard from St. Louis has posted nine double-digit scoring games this season after pouring in a career-high 31 points against FSU on Dec. 20.

"He's making shots and he's playing great. Guys are finding him when he's got it going," Antigua said. "Corey has worked his tail off to put himself in this position. I think he's just capitalizing on opportunities on the court."

The Bulls shot a season-high 54.4 percent (31-for-57) and got another solid game on the offensive end from junior point guard Anthony Collins (Houston), who finished with 12 points and five assists. Junior guard Nehemias Morillo (Dominican Republic) also scored 12 points and sophomore forward Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) gave the Bulls a strong inside presence with 10 points and eight rebounds.

USF was on point in a first half that saw the Bulls shoot 52 percent from the field (14-for-27) on the way to a 38-30 lead at the break. The Bulls were extra sharp from long range, going 4-for-5, with Collins making both of his 3-point attempts to set a new career high.

"They were good shots. They were shots in rhythm," Antigua said. "We did a lot of shooting the last few days here in the gym and we just took good shots. They weren't contested, they weren't rushed. They were prepared to make those shots."

Collins and freshman guard Troy Holston Jr. (Queens, N.Y.) each had a team-leading eight points in the opening half while the Bulls were missing Dinero Mercurius, who was out with a groin injury after making consecutive starts.

USF also set the tone inside by starting with a 22-12 rebounding advantage as Perry headed into the half with seven boards to go with six points. The Bulls grabbed 14 of their rebounds on the defensive end.

The Bulls stayed hot at the start of the second half as Allen Jr. knocked down the team's fifth 3-pointer and added a jumper to pump the lead up to 52-38 less than 5 minutes in. The Lions, who battled UCF in a 70-65 loss on Monday night, clawed their way back to within seven while the Bulls went 5 minutes without a field goal.

After the Lions (3-10) cut their deficit to 54-47 with 10:22 remaining, Antigua called a timeout and the Bulls responded in a big way. Redshirt freshman forward Dre Clayton (Orlando) knocked down USF's sixth 3-pointer and the Bulls made four of their next five shots to take a 65-50 lead past the 7-minute mark.

"We talked about competing, putting pressure on them the entire game and not worrying about anything in the first half," Antigua said. "We knew in the second half we would hopefully get into their legs."

Allen Jr.'s second 3-pointer gave USF an 18-point cushion with 5:13 to play and the Bulls never let their lead dip below 11 before improving to 5-2 at home this season.

"It's always important to go into the holidays with a win, it feels good," Perry said. "The whole team, the vibe is a lot better, and we put in a lot of hard work. We're ready for the break."

The Bulls conclude non-conference play 3 p.m. Sunday against Bowling Green back at the Sun Dome. USF begins American Athletic Conference play Wednesday, Dec. 31 at SMU before hosting East Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. Reserve your seats at the Sun Dome HERE.