By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 3, 2015 – USF used a late surge to run past East Carolina, 58-50, for its first American Athletic Conference victory of the season at the Sun Dome on Saturday night.

Down 44-42 with less than 8 minutes remaining, the Bulls (7-8, 1-1) seized control of the game with a 12-0 run and improved to 6-3 at home this season.

"Our guys have worked extremely hard and for us and the staff to see them finish off a game, stick to our principles and defend the way we did down the stretch, we were really happy about that," head coach Orlando Antigua said.

USF got a lot of production from its bigs as freshman center/forward Ruben Guerrero (Spain) tied his career high with 13 points and added seven rebounds while sophomore forward Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Redshirt freshman Bo Ziegler (Detroit) scored seven of his nine points during USF's game-changing run and collected eight rebounds to help the Bulls finish with a 37-32 edge on the boards.

"We did a good job of getting on the glass, using our length to capitalize on some offensive rebounding opportunities," Antigua said. "We certainly had a lot of them, so I'm glad we were able to get a few."

Senior guard Corey Allen Jr. (St. Louis) gave the Bulls three players in double figures with 12 points and junior point guard Anthony Collins (Houston) dished out seven assists while moving into fourth place on USF's career list. Collins now has 492 assists and needs 27 more assists to tie Chucky Atkins for third place.

The Bulls had a lead for more than half of the opening period but headed into the halftime, 27-25, after a 4-plus minute scoring drought. Allen Jr. led the way with eight points as USF started 11-for-29 from the field and 1-for-11 from long range. Allen Jr. also posted two of the team's four blocks as the Bulls' defense kept things close during the scoring drought.

The lead changed hands twice in the second half before the Bulls took command with their 12-0 run that started with a layup and free throw from Perry. Ziegler followed with seven points and Allen Jr.'s layup gave USF a 54-44 advantage with less than 2 minutes remaining.

USF never trailed by less than seven the rest of the way in a game that showcased the Bulls' ability to defend. East Carolina (7-8, 0-2) put up the fewest points of any USF opponent all season after shooting 35.3 percent from the field (18-for-51) with 10 turnovers.

"We needed to try to win a game that way because that kind of has to be our M.O.," Antigua said. "That's how we're going to have to be in games and how we're going to have to stay in games. We have to compete."

Next up for the Bulls is a test against defending national champion UConn 7 p.m. Tuesday back at the Sun Dome and fans can purchase tickets HERE. The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a free Rocky the Bull hat on 80's Night with a special halftime performance by pro Simon Says caller Steve Max.