By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

STORRS, Conn., FEB. 23, 2020 – Justin Brown posted a career-high 22 points and David Collins jumped up to 10^th on USF's career scoring list in the Bulls' 78-71 setback at UConn on Sunday.

USF (11-16, 4-10) led midway through the second half and was seeking a regular-season sweep of UConn (15-12, 6-8). Sunday marked the final regular-season AAC meeting between the programs at Gampel Pavilion.

Brown (Atlanta) helped USF shoot 49 percent from the field (62 percent in the second half) during his career day and tied for the game high with six rebounds.

Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) scored 15 of his 18 total points in the second half to move past Victor Rudd to 10^th place on USF's career scoring list with 1,220 points.

Laquincy Rideau (West Palm Beach, Fla.) finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals. Michael Durr (Atlanta) added 10 points in an entertaining game that featured four ties in the second half and three total lead changes.

Brown started 4-for-6 from the field and led all scorers with 12 points during a back-and-forth first half.

Seeking its first-ever win at UConn, USF jumped ahead with back-to-back baskets by Durr and made five of its first seven shots from the field on the way to a 12-7 lead in the first five minutes.

UConn responded with a 10-0 run and held an 11-point lead with less than two minutes to go in the half. Brown heated back up with a five-point surge that dropped the Bulls' deficit down to 31-25 by the break.

USF opened a wild second half with a 5-for-5 performance from the field and Rideau's three-pointer tied things up at 38-38. Madut Akec's bucket from long range spotted USF a 47-46 lead before Collin's free throws forced the fourth tie of the half with 8:07 remaining.

Up three with less than three minutes left, UConn pulled away with an 8-0 run that included its sixth and seventh three-point plays of the half. The Huskies shot 64 percent from the floor after the break.
 
Quotable
Head coach Brian Gregory's thoughts on how the close second half played out:
"Give them credit. They obviously played exceptionally well on the offensive end. Our defense let us down a little bit there. We were active defensively, but maybe a little too gamble-orientated in the second half. We created a lot of scrambles, created some open shots for them, and created some offensive rebounds for them as well. We beat them on the second-chance points but they had some big ones."

Gregory on solid performances by Justin Brown and David Collins:
"I thought JB gave us really good minutes, and the four offensive rebounds as well. He's not only scoring, but (he's giving) effort. When he scores like that, it obviously gives us a lift. David kind of got it going a little bit in the second half. We kind of rode him for a while. He made pretty good decisions on those plays as well."
 
Key Stats
1,220 – David Collins now ranks 10^th on USF's all-time scoring list with 1,220 career points.
55 – UConn's shooting percentage from the field on an afternoon USF shot 49 percent.
15 – The Huskies' points off nine USF turnovers during a close battle in the second half.
7 – UConn's total of three-point plays in the second half, including five threes.
 
Notable

• Justin Brown scored a career-high 22 points, passing his previous top mark of 20 points at Tulane on March 6, 2019.
• David Collins moved up to 10th place on USF's all-time scoring list with 1,220 points.
• Heading into Sunday, USF was 17-5 since the start of last season when Brown scores in double figures.
• Sunday marked the 27^th meeting between the schools and their final regular-season matchup as members of the American Athletic Conference. UConn accepted an invitation to join the Big East, and participate in sports other than football next season.
• USF was looking for its first-ever win at UConn in 10 trips to Hartford and Storrs. The Bulls also were seeking a regular-season sweep of the Huskies after posting a 75-60 victory at the Yuengling Center on Jan. 4.
• UConn improved to 12-3 at home this season and has won four straight games in Storrs/Hartford.

 
Up Next
USF returns to the Yuengling Center to host East Carolina on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (TV: ESPN3). Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.

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 10^th 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 owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship. 

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, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 CBI championship.

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