USF blows by Bethune -Cookman
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TAMPA -- USF used a balanced scoring attack and points off turnovers as to defeat an erratic Bethune-Cookman team 91-65 on Tuesday night in the Sun Dome.
Senior forward Victor Rudd Jr. had another solid performance Tuesday night, scoring 14 points and adding 4 assists to help USF secure the victory.
However, the night belonged to another "Jr."
Corey Allen Jr., a transfer from Mt. Sac junior college in California, had the best showing of his young college career on Tuesday night. Allen Jr. played pest-like defense for 34 minutes, causing five Bethune-Cookman turnovers.
The 147-pound junior guard out of St. Louis absolutely filled up the stat sheet in just his second Division 1 appearance. He finished with 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds to go along with three steals and two blocks.
"I just let the game come to me," said Allen Jr. "It doesn't matter (what position) I play; I'm here to contribute and help the team win.
"We played with a fast pace, a good pace. It seemed like everyone was making shots. I think at times, though, we had to settle down. Sometimes we take the first shot rather than taking the best shot."
USF head coach Stan Heath has been nothing short of impressed with Allen Jr.'s play thus far, as Heath continued to praise the young guard for his efforts.
"Corey's game is filling the stat sheet. He flirted with a triple double tonight, he's a great all-around player," said Heath.
"Corey offers us some speed and depth that we really never had before."
As a team, USF shot 49.2% from the field, including 27 points off turnovers and 29 bench points. The Bulls out scored Bethune-Cookman in the paint 46-20. Heath was pleased with the Bulls' performance, but added that there is still much work to be done heading into Friday night's road game against Bowling Green, a team that took USF into triple overtime last year at the Sun Dome.
"It was a good win. It's been a long time since we scored 91 points," said Heath. "Tonight was a good effort, but we need to get ready for the adversity and pressure we're going to face on the road.
"I thought in the second half tonight, we stayed the course and stayed locked in. We really put our foot on the pedal coming out of the gate and didn't let up."
Although USF shot a dismal 4-17 from behind the arc, Heath added that many of the misses were good shots that just weren't falling.
"3-pointers are not our strength," Heath chuckled. "We know that. But if we start making them, watch out."
Heath mentioned that he likes the way the Bulls are playing at the moment, even without junior point guard Anthony Collins, who is still nursing an inflamed knee.
"I like what we're doing right now. We're running because we have the pieces to run (with Chris Perry and John Egbunu).
"Every team has it's identity, it's personality. Right now, I think we found ours."
Nico's Notes:
- Heath mentioned that even though he didn't initially think that his two freshman big men had the best performances, he changed his mind when he saw the final box score. Perry and Egbunu combined for 18 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks.
- USF led by just nine points at the half, but out-scored BCU 53-36 in the second half en route to a 26 point victory.
- Senior guard Martino Brock had a career-high five steals Tuesday night, while adding 10 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action.
- Senior Musa Abdul-Aleem finally seemed to find his groove, scoring 12 points. However, he struggled from 3-point land, only converting on one of his seven attempts.