The University of South Florida Bulls staged a late comeback to tie the game in regulation and beat the East Carolina University Pirates in overtime, 73-68.

.

USF scored first in the game on a free throw by Michael Durr. The Bulls maintained a small advantage until 10:15 remained in the half, when Tremont Robinson-White drove for a layup to give the Pirates their first lead of the game, 15-14. They would build that into a 9 point, 25-16 lead with 6:49 to go in the period. The Bulls then went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 25 with just over two minutes to go before the break. ECU would outscore them 4-3 down the stretch to take a 29-28 lead into halftime.

The second half was a slugfest, with the biggest lead of the half a seven point lead ECU held with 6:48 left in the game. A 9-2 run by the Bulls tied the game at 57 with under three minutes to go in regulation. A pair of free throws by Justin Brown gave USF a 59-57 lead with 42 seconds to go, but ECU’s Robinson-White scored on a layup to tie the game at 59 as time expired.

Xavier Castaneda gave the Bulls a 60-59 edge on the front end of a pair of free throws seven seconds into overtime. Brandon Suggs scored on a layup to give ECU the lead, 61-60 less than a minute later. Castaneda sinks a three-pointer to return the lead to the Bulls, 63-61. Bitumba Baruti evened the score at 63 with a layup and 3:03 on the clock.

Brown hit a three with 2:33 remaining in overtime to give the Bulls a 66-63 lead. Suggs then made another layup to cut the Bulls’ lead to 1, 66-65 with 1:15 to go.

Brown answered with a pair of free throws to put the Bulls up 68-65 after a flagrant foul was called on ECU. But, it was the shot that followed, a three-pointer by Laquincy Rideau, that iced the game for the Bulls, putting them up 71-65 with just 18 seconds to go in overtime. Tristan Newton would score three with six seconds on the clock, but it was too little too late. Rideau closed the game by making a pair of free throws with five seconds on the clock.

Four Bulls scored in double-digits in the game. Brown led the pack with 18 and nine rebounds. Michael Durr scored a career high 15 points and added eight rebounds. Rideau had 14 with five assists. The final Bull to break into the teens was David Collins, with 11 points and six rebounds.

The Pirates were led in scoring by Jayden Gardner, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Brandon Suggs had 13 points, followed by Tristen Newton with ten.

ECU beat the Bulls in scoring percentage, 49% to just 38%, but the Bulls were dominant from the free throw line, going 20-27, compared to the Pirates’ 4-6. ECU was also stronger in the paint, 34-28, but were outrebounded by the Bulls, 44-33. That rebound advantage, particularly on the offensive end, gave the Bulls a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points. While the Pirates shot a lot better than USF, the Bulls won the game at the free throw line and off the offensive glass.

After the game, USF head basketball coach, Brian Gregory, spoke with the media. He opened the press conference with praise for ECU.

“Tough-minded kids that play really hard,” said Gregory. “Obviously, they got one of the premier scorers in the league, one of the premier players in the league in Gardner. They’ve really, really improved defensively. They’re good. They’re so much better. Their record doesn’t indicate the progress that that program has made.”

About his own team, he saw positives and negatives.

“We didn’t play great in stretches, and in other stretches, we played, really, really well,” said Gregory. “So, you take that win and you move on and you’ve got three left before the tournament.”

Those three games are at Temple on Sunday, March 1st, at home against Cincinnati on Tuesday, March 3rd, and hosting SMU on Saturday, March 7th. The Temple game is set for a noon tipoff with broadcast on CBS Sports Network.