TAMPA, FEB. 8, 2014 – Senior guard
Martino Brock tied a season high with 17 points, but a late scoring drought by the University of South Florida gave Rutgers a 79-69 win Saturday at the Sun Dome.
The Bulls (12-12, 3-8 American) held a five-point lead early in the second half, but made just two field goals in the final six minutes as the Scarlet Knights (10-14, 4-7) won their first game on the road.
"I'm very disappointed," said head coach Stan Heath. "We didn't play the way we've been playing in our last three games. Things we were doing well like rebounding the ball, scoring in the paint and defending, it just didn't happen. I thought the key was the way we started the game."
USF quickly fell behind 15-4 and by as many as 14 points (22-8), but weathered the storm and trailed by 36-35 at halftime. Brock scored 13 of his team high in the first half when the Bulls shot 46.4 percent from the field.
USF scored the first six points of the second half to take a 41-36 lead. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 15-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 51-43 lead. The Bulls mounted a comeback and tied the game 53-53 with 10:03 remaining, but never again took the lead.
"We started the second half well, but we had too many lapses in the game," said Heath.
Lapses and a career night by Kadeem Jack. The Rutgers forward finished with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 13-of-13 from the free throw line. His six rebounds helped the Scarlet Knights outrebound the Bulls 37-30.
"Give Rutgers a lot of credit because they had struggled on the road," said Heath of the Scarlet Knights who improved to 1-7 away from home. "They came with a lot more energy and fire than we did tonight."
USF's Victor Rudd moved into 15th in career points, passing Penny Greene. The senior from Los Angeles with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Chris Perry (Bartow) scored 11 points and John Egbunu (Bauchi, Nigeria) had 10 points to round out the Bulls' double-figure scorers.
USF will next be in action on Wednesday when it takes on No. 22 UConn at 7 p.m. in a game televised by ESPN2.
The Bulls return to the Sun Dome Saturday, Feb. 15 to host Rutgers at 1:30 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE and stay updated on the team all season long on Twitter @USFMBB.
