By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
HARTFORD, Conn., MARCH 12, 2015 – First-year USF head coach Orlando Antigua was proud of his young Bulls for fighting to the finish in the 2014-15 season finale.
Nehemias Morillo scored a team-high 13 points and freshman Troy Holston Jr. added 12 points in USF's 69-43 loss to UConn in the first round of the American Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday night at the XL Center.
Morillo finished his debut season as a Bull in double figures with 10.1 points per game. The junior guard from Santiago, Dominican Republic reached double figures for the fourth straight time and posted 16 double-digit scoring games this season for the Bulls (9-23).
Holston Jr. knocked down two of USF's three 3-pointers against UConn and finished his solid freshman season with six consecutive double-digit scoring games. The guard from Queens, N.Y., averaged 7.9 points, reached double figures 10 times and finished second on the team with 39 3-pointers this season.
"We had several occasions throughout the year where different guys were out and guys stepped up," Antigua said. "Next man up, the next person then just stepped in and for the betterment of the team, took the next step forward and that was huge. That's important for us and for our future."
First-year Bulls for heated up down the stretch for 11th-seeded USF after sixth-seeded UConn started Thursday's meeting on a 17-2 run. USF went 2-for-17 from the field to open the game and scored its first points on a Ruben Guerrero tip-in with 13:43 remaining before halftime. The Bulls went 5-for-21 (24 percent) from the field in the opening period and trailed, 29-14, at the break.
"I just think we came out in the first half and faced a team that came out with a little bit of vinegar," Antigua said. "I thought our guys had some nerves, and understandably so in a conference tournament with the kind of atmosphere that was here tonight, and once we settled down and we started making some shots."
USF's rising stars started to shine in the second half and the Bulls were on the way to reducing the deficit to single digits when Holston Jr.'s free throws cut the UConn lead to 44-31 with 9:33 remaining. The Huskies responded with back-to-back 3-pointers by Ryan Boatright and Daniel Hamilton.
Hamilton made four of UConn's 11 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 20 points. The Huskies (18-13) went 24-for-44 from the field (54 percent) and will face third-seeded Cincinnati 9 p.m. Friday in the conference quarterfinals.
"You have to give Connecticut credit, they came out and played extremely hard and made some tough shots, especially early on," Antigua said.
