TAMPA, JAN. 22, 2019 –
David Collins scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and USF held Wichita State to its lowest scoring output this season on its way to a 54-41 victory over the Shockers Tuesday evening at the Yuengling Center.
USF (13-6, 3-4) turned in a dominant first half by holding Wichita State to 15 points on 6-for-27 shooting from the field. The Shockers also went 0-for-8 from three-point range in the first half and finished the game 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.
T.J. Lang's (Mobile, Ala.) three-pointer seven minutes into play put USF ahead 12-2 and the Bulls would lead by at least six points for the remainder of the half. Five consecutive free throws from USF over the final 2:19 gave the Bulls a 30-15 lead at halftime.
USF took its largest lead on a layup by
Mayan Kiir (Bradenton, Fla.) early in the second half to go ahead 35-17, but Wichita State answered with a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to six points with 7:16 remaining. Rideau, who finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals, pushed the lead back to eight with a layup and
Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) hit a three-pointer on the next USF possession to give the Bulls a 42-33 edge.
Two free throws by Jamarius Burton helped Wichita State pull within five points with just under five minutes left, but two free throws from Kiir and a three-pointer by
Alexis Yetna (Paris) extended the lead back to double digits. Samajae Haynes-Jones had the final field goal for Wichita State at the 3:46 mark, and Collins scored the final seven points for USF to help the Bulls improve to 11-2 at home this season.
Markis McDuffie led Wichita State with 11 points and was the only Shocker to score in double figures.
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory on the game:
"I have the upmost respect for Gregg Marshall and we knew Wichita State was going to come out and fight, and we needed to respond in the same way. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. We talked on Sunday that after losing to three of the top four teams in our league, we we're going to need to respond. I told the guys that we'll see what our commitment level is towards what we are trying to build, and I thought you saw it tonight. It wasn't pretty on offense, but it was really good on defense, it was really good."
Key Stats
15 – Wichita State managed just 15 field goals and shot 28.3 percent from the field.
18 – USF made 18 free throws and shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line. Wichita State went 9-for-22 from the free throw line.
1 – USF allowed only one player from Wichita State to score in double figures.
20 – USF forced Wichita State into 20 turnovers.
Notable
- USF has its most wins in a season since the 2011-12 season.
- Laquincy Rideau scored 11 points and needs 73 more points for 1,000 in his career.
- Laquincy Rideau is seven steals shy of a new USF single-season record.
- USF already has as many American Athletic Conference wins as it did a season ago.
Up Next
The Bulls continue league play Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Bulls travel to Greenville, N.C., to face ECU on ESPNU.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men's' basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa. In his first season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to its first 10-plus win season since 2013-14.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
