TAMPA—
The University of South Florida Bulls erased a double-digit deficit to defeat the University of Connecticut Huskies on Wednesday night, 76-68. The Bulls had trailed the entire first half before making turning things around midway through the second half.
The first half was all UConn. The Bulls led for just 27 seconds in the period, when LaQuincy Rideau scored the first points of the game on a layup to put USF up 2-0. The Huskies would then go on a 21-18 run to lead by 13 with 2:20 left in the half, 33-20. A 5-0 run by the Bulls would narrow the scoring gap to eight, 33-25 at halftime.
The Huskies would maintain control in the first few minutes of the second half. With just under 17 minutes to go in the game, Rideau knocked down a pair of free throws to get the Bulls within six points, 35-29. On the next UConn possession, Rideau steals the ball from Tarin Smith and goes the length of the court to make a layup to get the Bulls within four. A minute later, Xavier Castaneda is fouled and makes both free throws, narrowing the gap to two, 35-33 with 15:23 to go.
With just under 13 minutes on the game clock, David Collins hits a free throw to get them within one. Collins would then take a defensive rebound from end to end and score the go-ahead layup, 41-40. UConn would tie the game at 42 on a Jalen Adams layup and take a one point lead with an Adams free throw. Another Collins layup gave the Bulls a one point lead. USF would hang on to the lead for the remainder of the game, building up to double-digit leads multiple times.
Rideau had a near-career day for the Bulls, scoring 25 points with eight rebounds. Collins, who played just six minutes in the first half, went off offensively in the second, putting up 17 points with six rebounds. Alexis Yetna, who tied for the team lead with eight rebounds, finished with 12 points.
For the Huskies, Jalen Adams was outstanding, scoring 25 points and hitting 5-6 from the free throw line. He, along with Christian Vital and Alterique Gilbert accounted for 53 of UConn’s 68 points. Vital and Gilbert scored 16 and 12 points, respectively.
USF was dominate on the glass, outrebounding UConn, 47-32. They also shot better, overall, making 44% to just 39% for the Huskies. The Bulls had a 17-9 advantage in points off the bench, which turned out to be the difference in the game.
Head basketball coach, Brian Gregory, met with the press after the game. About UConn, he said, “They’re good. You know, those guards are hard to guard. The play hard. Both teams played really hard. Both teams played very physical.
“You know, we’re a different team because we can play at that intensity level and that physicality and still make some quality plays.”
Near the turning point in the game, the Yuengling Center erupted with fan noise, making it one of the loudest games in recent memory.
“Great crowd,” said Gregory. “Great atmosphere for the first conference game. It was important that we played, we didn’t have to win, even though obviously I’d feel a lot better if we did. To play that hard, and with that kind of grit and toughness, I think will resonate with our fans.”
Rideau scored more points than the rest of the Bulls, combined. When asked about the impact he had on the game, Gregory said, “I thought, we got some good minutes from some guys in the first half that kept us within striking distance. We missed two free throws in the last minute or it’s a six point game. But, Q (LaQuincy Rideau) saved us in the first half. Made plays at the rim, made some tough shots. Defended really well.”
When asked how they were able to score twice as many points in the second half as the first half, he said, “Coaching. You know what it didn’t. We defended better. So, now you got some breakouts. Now, you got some opportunities to score when their defense isn’t set. Our defense and rebounding always fuels our offense. Plus, we got to the free throw line. We were more physical with our drives. Credit goes to our guys and their defensive effort. Kinda catapult us into better scoring opportunities.
The Huskies drop to 9-5 (0-1). They will hope to rebound against 11-2 UCF on 1/5. Tip-off is at noon for that ESPNN broadcast.
The Bulls, winners of seven in-a-row, are 11-2 for the first time since the 1990-91 basketball season, when they made a trip to the NIT. The last time they beat UConn was back in 2013.
Next up for the team is a road trip to Tulsa, who are sitting at 10-4 with a ten point loss to then #6 / 5 Nevada, a one point win over then #16 Kansas State, and an eight point loss to #19 Houston. That game will feature a 6:00 PM EST tip-off, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
