TAMPA –
The University of South Florida Bulls outlasted the East Carolina Pirates, 72-68 in overtime on Sunday. The Pirates had dominated the game early before USF forced overtime at the end of regulation.
David Collins scored the first points of the game for either team on a layup just 13 seconds into the game. ECU would respond seconds later with a three pointer by Shawn Williams. Williams’ was the first of two threes on a 17-5 that gave the Pirates a ten point lead with a little more than 16 minutes remaining in the first half. K.J. Davis contributed two threes of his own on that scoring run. ECU would hold onto a comfortable lead, at one point by as much as 13, for the remainder of the half. At the break, the Pirates led 39-28.
The Bulls came out strong in the second half, quickly cutting the Pirate lead to two, 43-41, with just under 16 minutes left in regulation. That two point deficit was the closest the score had been since the opening minutes of play. Three minutes later, they were tied at 45, the first tie of the game. Antun Maricevic scored the go ahead points on a pair of free throws with 12:17 on the clock, with the Bulls up 47-45. That was just the second USF lead of the game.
The two teams would play close down the stretch, trading the lead, with neither leading by more than four points. With 2:19 left in the game, Davis hit a jump shot that gave the Pirates a four point lead. Collins would then hit three out of four free throws to get the Bulls back to within one, 60-59. Collins would then commit a foul of his own, sending Isaac Fleming to the line for ECU. Fleming knocked down his first shot, but missed his second, extending the Pirate lead to 61-59 with 1:08 on the game clock. Mayan Kiir would get the Bulls back within one, 61-60, making the first side of a pair of free throws.
Fleming would return to the free throw line for the Pirates, making the first and missing the second, giving the Pirates a two-point, 62-60 lead. Kiir would get the defensive rebound, passing it to Collins, who drove into the paint as if to score, instead passing it out to Rideau, who was waiting in three point range. The open shot wasn’t there, so Rideau drove in for a layup, getting laid out by Dimitri Spasojevic. Rideau made both of his free throws, tying the game at 62 with 12.7 seconds to go. ECU would have one more chance to score when Shawn Williams attempted a short range jump shot, only to be denied by a Kiir shot block. Time expired and the game went into overtime.
Overtime was the expected slugfest. Fleming started the scoring for ECU, sinking a pair of free throws. Less than a minute later, he is called for a foul, his fifth, and leaves the game. Rideau made both of the subsequent free throws, the first of ten points the Bulls gained in overtime at the free throw line. USF would not attempt a field goal in the entire period, while ECU missed six for what would have amounted to 13 total points. Kiir would make two free throws to give the Bulls a 67-66 lead with 1:53 remaining in overtime. ECU would challenge until the horn, but the Bulls would not relinquish the lead, extending it to four points on a Collins free throw with six seconds to go, 72-68.
Collins led all Bulls in scoring with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Kiir and Rideau were second and third in scoring, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Justin Brown was the fourth USF player to score in double-digits, finishing with ten points. Michael Durr led the team in rebounds with 13.
Fleming was the scoring leader for ECU, scoring 14. Three other Pirates scored in double-digits. Jayden Gardner and Davis each had 11, while Shawn Williams scored 13. Davis pulled down a team-leading five rebounds.
ECU had the edge in the paint, outscoring the Bulls 32-26, and points off of turnovers, 18-8. They also forced USF to turn over the ball twice as many times (9-20). The Bulls had an advantage in second change points (20-9) made possible by dominating the Pirates in rebounds (46-22). The overall edge, however, was for the Bulls at the free throw line. They had a lot more opportunities (33-21) and made nearly 70% (69.7%). Success at the line literally accounted for every USF point in overtime.
Following the overtime win, USF head coach, Brian Gregory, spoke with the press.
“I think you got to start off and give Joe a ton of credit,” said Gregory. “They were ready to play. They changed up some things from just two weeks ago, in terms of both coverages and offensive stuff and really put us in a tough situation.
“We weren’t ready for some of the stuff and that’s my fault. But give them credit. They played extremely hard, super aggressive in terms of attacking the basket. They got us on our heels there in that first half and got us in foul trouble as well.”
Gregory was asked about the level of confidence the team has developed, having faced the adversity of tough wins like this one.
“I always say that confidence is created by work ethic,” said Gregory. “Our guys work hard and prepare.”
He was then asked about the upcoming matchup against nearby UCF.
“It’s the most important game of the year because it’s the only game we’re playing. It’s the next game. And we’ve been at that all year long. We’re not going to change that philosophy. Today was the most important game that we played all year long.”
After expressing how important the next game always is, he mentioned that rivalry games should mean more.
“Those games mean a little more,” he said. “They have to. Everywhere I’ve ever been at, we’ve had a rival and that game has always meant a little more. I think one of the things we need to do as a program is we need to embrace that. I’m not sure it has been. I don’t know. I just never got that feel.
“So that’s something that’s important to us. I know it’s important to them. So, we got to make it important to us. That’s a game that means a little bit more.”
ECU head coach, Joe Dooley, also spoke briefly to the media.
“Obviously, South Florida made some plays at the end,” said Dooley. “Their ability to rebound the ball and make free throws I thought was the defining moments, or defining points that got us beat. I thought both teams played hard.
“The ebb and flow of the game was a little bit interesting. I was a little bit happy with our guys’ effort and I thought South Florida did a really good job of finishing the game.”
The Pirates fall to 9-14 (2-9) with the loss. They will host Memphis on Wednesday, February 13th. That game will begin at 7:00 PM EST and will be viewable on ESPN3.
USF improves to 17-6 (7-4) with the win. They are 13-2 at home this season and are enjoying a five game win streak for the first time since the 1991-92 season. They will visit conference neighbor, UCF, on Wednesday, February 13th for a 7:00 PM EST tip-off. ESPNNEWS will broadcast the game.
