TAMPA- Fla. – On a chilly winter night in Tampa South Florida and Wichita State were both cold shooting the basketball but USF managed to grind out a 54-41 win in an American Athletic Conference matchup of two of its youngest teams.

USF (13-6, 3-4 AAC) started the game on a 12-2 run, pushed it’s lead to 18 in the second half, only to see Wichita State (8-10, 1-5 AAC) battle back to cut the lead to 42-37 with 4:48 to play. The Bulls responded with an 8-2 run and held on to win.

David Collins led USF with 13 points and Laquincy Rideau added 11. Collins also grabbed six rebounds while Rideau had nine boards, five assists and four steals.

Markis McDuffie led the Shockers with 11 points, eight of which came in the second half.

RunningTheBulls.com was at the game and here is our Instant Analysis:

IT WAS OVER WHEN: McDuffie missed a three-pointer with 1:04 to play and the Shockers down 52-41.

HE STOLE THE SHOW: Rideau did have five turnovers, but he almost notched a double-double and was solid defensively.

THE STAT DOESN’T LIE: Wichita State didn’t make a field goal in the final 3:46 of the game. The Bulls defense locked up the Shockers when it counted the most.

WHAT A PLAY: Kiir, who is turnover prone took a dribble on the right low block, turned and tossed a pass to Durr who finished for a dunk to put the Bulls ahead 32-17 early in the second half.

THE BOTTOM LINE: USF gets a much-needed win, ends its three-game losing streak and has the most wins (13) since the 2011-12 season. Next up the Bulls travel to North Carolina for a matchup with ECU on Saturday.