USF Senior Writer

TULSA, Okla., JAN. 31, 2015 – Corey Allen Jr. poured in a career-high 32 points and USF pushed first-place Tulsa to the limit in a 78-71 overtime loss Saturday at Reynolds Arena.

USF (7-15, 1-8) made a season-high 10 pointers and shot 50 percent from the field, a feat only two teams have accomplished in the past 21 games against Tulsa (16-5, 9-0). Nobody had done it in the past 15 games and the Bulls made it happen without star sophomore Chris Perry for the third straight game.

"It's hard to win on the road and playing the top team in the conference is tough. It's a great atmosphere here and I'm really, really proud of our guys," head coach Orlando Antigua said.

Allen Jr. (St. Louis) topped his previous career high of 31 points by going 13-for-19 from the field with a career-best five 3-pointers (5-for-9). The senior guard is the first Bull to score 32 points in a game since Augustus Gilchrist against DePaul on Feb. 26, 2011.

Anthony Collins also was a big contributor on the offensive end with 19 points in his first double-digit scoring game since posting 20 points against Bowling Green on Dec. 28. Nehemias Morillo added 15 points and tied his career high for 3-pointers by going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

"Guys go down with injuries and other guys are stepping up," Antigua said. "I'm happy and excited to see the ball continue to go in for Corey and for Nehemias. A.C. took a bunch of attempts, which for him that's big. That's growth."

Allen Jr.'s 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go before halftime gave USF a 33-30 lead at the break and the senior guard nearly won it for the Bulls in regulation. After a Tulsa foul with 2.7 seconds remaining, Allen Jr. found space deep in the corner and his last-second jumper rattled in and out.

"He got a really good look at it. I thought it was going to go down and obviously we would have been really happy to get out of here with a win," Antigua said.

Antigua was proud of the way the shorthanded Bulls were able to keep their focus during a second half that featured 10 lead changes and four ties.  Morillo's 3-pointer spotted the Bulls a 55-51 lead with 4:13 remaining before Allen Jr. put USF ahead twice in the final minute and a half. 

All of that was accomplished without freshman Ruben Guerrero, who missed the second half and overtime with an injury. Stepping up in his place was Dre Clayton, who posted a career-high seven rebounds in 30 minutes.

"We just want to continue to keep taking steps toward getting better," Antigua said. "Not worry about the results, worry about every possession, competing and trying to get better. If we can do that the results will take care of themselves."

Rashad Ray's layup with 21 seconds remaining tied things up at 62-62 and Tulsa never trailed in overtime on the way to its 11^th consecutive victory. Rashad Smith's 21 points led five Tulsa players in double figures. Brandon Swannegan added 12 points and 15 rebounds to help the Golden Hurricane finish with a 44-30 edge on the glass.  Tulsa grabbed 21 rebounds on the offensive end.

The Bulls are back at home on Wednesday, Feb. 4 to take on Temple at 6:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNews and fans can reserve their seats at the Sun Dome HERE.