PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Week four of American Athletic Conference men's basketball action tipped on Tuesday night in Tampa, Fla., as USF put forth an impressive defensive effort to down Wichita State, 54-41.
Tuesday, January 22
David Collins scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and USF held Wichita State (8-10, 1-5) to its lowest scoring output this season at the Yuengling Center.
USF (13-6, 3-4) turned in a strong first half by holding Wichita State to 15 points on 6-for-27 shooting from the field. The Shockers also went 0-for-8 from three-point range in the first half and finished the game 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.
T.J. Lang's 3-pointer seven minutes into play put USF ahead 12-2 and the Bulls would lead by at least six points for the remainder of the half. Five consecutive free throws from USF over the final 2:19 gave the Bulls a 30-15 lead at halftime.
USF took its largest lead on a layup by Mayan Kiir early in the second half to go ahead 35-17, but Wichita State answered with a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to six points with 7:16 remaining.
Laquincy Rideau, who finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals, pushed the lead back to eight with a layup and Justin Brown hit a 3-pointer on the next USF possession to give the Bulls a 42-33 edge.
Two free throws by Jamarius Burton helped Wichita State pull within five points with just under five minutes left, but two free throws from Kiir and a triple by Alexis Yetna extended the lead back to double digits.
Samajae Haynes-Jones had the final field goal for Wichita State at the 3:46 mark, and Collins scored the final seven points for USF to help the Bulls improve to 11-2 at home this season.
Markis McDuffie led Wichita State with 11 points and was the only Shocker to hit a 3-pointer, netting two.
The Bulls defense held Wichita State to just 15 field goals, a 28.3 field goal percentage and 20 turnovers.
USF made 18 free throws and shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line. Wichita State went 9-for-22 from the free throw line.
USF has its most wins in a season since the 2011-12 season and already has as many American Athletic Conference victories as it did a season ago.
Rideau, a redshirt junior transfer from Gardner-Webb, needs 73 more points for 1,000 in his career. He is just seven steals away from setting the new USF single-season record.
UPCOMING GAMES