PRESS CONFERENCE
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, JAN. 6, 2015 – USF stayed ahead of defending national champion UConn for most of the first half as a packed crowd of 6,128 rocked the Sun Dome, but the Bulls cooled off down the stretch in a 58-44 loss on Tuesday night.
UConn (8-5, 1-1) grabbed the lead for good with a minute left in the opening period and never looked back as USF shot 31 percent (7-for-22) after the break in the 15th meeting between the programs.
"We had an unbelievable crowd. The students came out, fans came out, and we were very grateful about that," head coach Orlando Antigua said. "We wish we could have given them something to continue to be excited about, but we just needed to play a full 40 minutes."
Senior guard Corey Allen Jr. (St. Louis) was the lone Bull in double figures with 12 points. Amida Brimah (13 points) and Ryan Boatright (10 points) were only UConn players in double figures, but the Huskies ran away with the win by shooting 57 percent from the field in the second half (47 percent overall).
The first half was a different story as USF (7-9, 1-2) led for almost 14 minutes before UConn took a 28-24 lead into the break.
Antigua said a key to success heading into the game was making UConn work for every basket and the Bulls' defense did just that early on. The Huskies started 3-for-14 from the field while the Bulls took a 13-6 lead past the midpoint of the opening period. Sophomore forward Chris Perry (Bartow, Fla.) scored all five of his points during the opening run and grabbed six of USF's first 16 rebounds.
"We know we have potential. We show it in flashes, we just have to be more consistent and play hard all the time," Perry said.
UConn went 9-for-16 the rest of the way and took the lead back with a jumper by Omar Calhoun with 1:01 to go before halftime. The Huskies seized the momentum by finishing the half on a 9-0 run.
"We gave them too many second opportunities at the end of the first half and I think that's where they got a little separation," Antigua said.
Despite the deficit, USF did a solid job guarding the perimeter as UConn started 1-for-10 from long range after making eight 3-pointers in a 63-59 win at Florida on Jan. 3 in Gainesville. UConn finished 4-for-14 from beyond the arc.
The Huskies continued to heat up at the beginning of the second half, making five of their first seven shots during a 12-2 run that extended the lead to 40-26. USF started 2-for-8 from the field and went nearly 6 minutes without a basket until Ruben Guerrero's layup cut the deficit to 40-28 with 13:48 to play.
"In the second half we didn't come out with the same fire and the same fight that we had in the first half. That's something that we have to correct," Antigua said. "In order for us to be in games, especially against good teams, we're going to have to play a full 40 minutes. We have to stick to the game plan and have to know when to take shots and when to move the ball."
USF kept it close on the boards as UConn finished with a 33-29 rebounding edge but the Huskies had an 18-7 advantage in second-chance points and outscored the Bulls, 34-26, in the paint. The teams will meet up again on Sunday, Jan. 25 in Hartford.
The Bulls finish up the week with a test at Tulane 3 p.m. Sunday before returning to the Sun Dome to host Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 11 a.m. Purchase tickets for USF-Tulsa HERE.
