TAMPA, Fla., JAN. 20, 2018 – The Bulls fought hard right up until the final buzzer, but were unable to come away with the victory on Saturday night against UCF (13-6, 4-3 AAC). The Knights took the opener of the War On I-4 from USF, 71-69, before a crowd of 4,611 at the Sun Dome.
The Bulls (7-13, 0-7 AAC) led for 29 minutes in the game and held a one-point lead with less than four minutes left in the game but fell just short.
Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md.) played a big part in the Bulls’ success in the game, scoring 21 points with four made threes. He turned the ball over just one time in 39 minutes in the game. For Jiggetts, it was his third 20-plus point effort of the season and tied his season high in points.
Freshman David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) had yet another strong effort in his first collegiate start, playing a career-high 30 minutes and scoring 14 points. Collins added five assists, one short of the career-high six he had at ECU on Wednesday night.
Justin Brown (Birmingham, Ala.) was the third Bull in double figures on the night, scoring 12 points and making two threes. With the threes, Brown now sits in ninth place alone on the USF freshman top 10 for made threes in a season with 26. Brown also added four rebounds, including three on the offensive glass.
Quotables
Head Coach Brian Gregory on the atmosphere:
“It was a great environment here tonight. The student section had a lot of people in it, the crowd was great. Hopefully just kind of a glimpse in what we can get to. We have to do our part, and I think tonight we took some steps in that.”
Gregory on David Collins:
“I see a little bit of B.J. Taylor in David Collins. Tough, physical guard. Shoots the ball well enough to keep you honest, but can get to the basket.”
Key Stats
6 – The Bulls made six threes in the first half, including three from Stephan Jiggetts and two from Justin Brown.
15 – The Bulls had 15 assists on 24 made baskets on the night.
11 – USF had 11 offensive rebounds, compared to seven for UCF
Notable
The announced crowd of 4,611 was the most this season for a home game, besting the previous high of 4,192, set on opening night in the double header with the USF women’s basketball team.
Malik Martin (Miami, Fla.) had a USF-high seven rebounds, including three on the offensive boards.
David Collins has made 15 straight free throws, dating back to the Cincinnati game on Jan. 13. Collins made his last two attempts in that game, went a perfect 6-for-6 at ECU, and was 7-for-7 from the stripe tonight.
Up Next
The Bulls hit the road for a two-game road trip. USF will travel to New Orleans to take on Tulane on Thursday night and then continue on to Houston for a Sunday matinee. The game with Tulane is slated for a 9 p.m. tip-off and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.