By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MARCH 7, 2015 – USF stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit and took a lead with less than 7 minutes remaining before falling to Tulane, 67-63, in the regular season finale Saturday at the Sun Dome.
USF (9-22, 3-15) committed just five turnovers – none after the break – and shot 51 percent from the field while freshman Troy Holston Jr. finished with a game-high 21 points. Nehemias Morillo added 16 points and Anthony Collins posted all 10 of USF's assists with eight points.
"If we would have played the first half like we played the second half we would have been OK," said Collins, who dished out at least 10 assists for the 12th time in his career.
Tulane (15-15, 6-12) finished with a 32-22 advantage on the boards and 10-3 edge in offensive rebounds. Jonathan Stark led the Green Wave with 16 points and scored 11 of his team's final 13 points with less than 3 minutes remaining.
"He made some tough plays that were guarded. He made some free throws. You've got to give them credit for finishing off the game," head coach Orlando Antigua said.
USF headed into halftime down, 32-21, after going 10-for-20 from the field. Holston Jr. started 4-for-7 from the field with nine points after knocking down the Bulls' lone 3-pointer of the opening period.
Holston Jr.'s layup gave USF a 19-18 lead with 4:35 remaining but Tulane took charge with a 14-2 run to close the half. The Green Wave started with a 16-10 edge on the boards and a 6-1 advantage in offensive rebounds.
"We just didn't bring the kind of toughness that I thought we were going to be able to start the game off with, which we've shown in the past," Antigua said. "We didn't show the same commitment to one another defensively that we've shown in the past. I had to remind them of that at halftime and obviously we had a better second half."
USF responded right away after the break by opening on a 10-0 run and Holston Jr.'s three free throws cut the deficit to 32-31 with 15:10 remaining. Following a Tulane shot clock violation, Morillo knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Bulls a 38-36 advantage.
Four lead changes followed before Louis Dabney's 3-pointer gave Tulane a 47-45 lead with 6:31 remaining and the Bulls played catch-up the rest of the way. USF pulled within two points twice and Holston Jr.'s 3-pointer of the game cut the deficit to 63-65 with 6 seconds remaining. Stark ended the comeback attempt by sinking a pair of free throws 3 seconds later.
"You have to give them credit. They battled and made the plays down the stretch and we didn't," Antigua said.
Despite the loss, USF heads to the postseason with confidence after outscoring Tulane, 42-35, in the second half. The Bulls finished with five or fewer turnovers for the first time since March 6, 2013 while young players continue to step up. Freshmen accounted for 56 percent of USF's scoring Saturday and Holston Jr. has scored in double-figures in seven of the past eight games.
"Now we got into a fresh, new season and let's see if we can take the things we've done well and build on that going into a 0-0 season," Antigua said.
USF heads to the American Athletic Conference tournament as the 11th seed and will face sixth-seeded UConn 8 p.m. Thursday in Hartford, Conn. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNews.
