Box Score By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, FEB. 25, 2016 – Jaleel Cousins led three Bulls in the double figures with 11 points in an 81-51 loss to UConn before a crowd of 4,668 at the Sun Dome on Thursday night.
USF (7-22, 4-12) was going for three straight conference wins for the first time since 2012. UConn (20-8, 10-5) put an end to the Bulls' hot streak by shooting 57 percent overall and 69 percent in the second half.
Cousins reached double digits for the 14th time this season, scoring all 11 of his points after the break and going 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Cousins and the Bulls' offense heated up in the second half after trailing, 28-13, at the break.
“It was very uncharacteristic of the way we've been playing, the way we started out the game,” head coach Orlando Antigua said. “… It did not look like a team that had been playing the last few games.”
Freshman Jahmal McMurray posted his 27th double-digit scoring game of the season with 10 points. Senior Nehemias Morillo also scored 10 points on a night the Bulls shot 28 percent with 15 turnovers.
USF headed into halftime down, 28-13, after enduring two cold spells against a UConn team that ranked third nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.7).
Morillo made a pair of 3-pointers in the first three minutes to put USF ahead, but the Bulls were on the comeback trail shortly after the senior started 2-for-2 from the field. McMurray's 3-pointer ended a scoreless drought of more than eight minutes and cut the deficit to 12-9 with 9:25 remaining.
“A team as good as UConn is defensively, they're going to get you out of your stuff, so you have to move the ball and we didn't do that in the first half,” Antigua said.
UConn gained distance with a 14-0 run and Sterling Gibbs' 3-pointer gave the Huskies a 28-11 lead with 2:04 to go. McMurray's jumper ended another USF scoring drought of more than five minutes and led the Bulls with seven points at the half.
Aside from McMurray and Morillo's six points, no other USF player scored in the opening half. The Bulls shot 15 percent from the floor (4-for-26) and went 1-for-18 from inside the arc.
The Bulls' offense got going after the break, nearly tripling the first-half point total while shooting 41 percent. Cousins and Ruben Guerrero each went 2-for-2 from the field and eight different Bulls scored.
UConn made 12 of its first 13 shots in the second half and finished with four players in double figures. Rodney Purvis led the way with 18 points and Shonn Miller added 16 points and seven rebounds to help the Huskies finish with a 37-27 edge on the boards.
“We know how this team needs to play in order to win. We have to get back to that,” Antigua said.
The Bulls will look to bounce back at home against East Carolina on Wednesday, March 2. Game time for Senior Night at the Sun Dome is set for 9 p.m. (TV: ESPNU) and fans can reserve their seats at USFBullsTix.com.
