USF 61, Bradley 57. Bulls Survive on the Road

The Bulls survived Bradley 61-57 in a game that was anything but pretty. USF went on a 12-3 run in the final seven minutes to steal the win in their final non-conference game of the season.

USF (9-4) seemed to lack any killer instinct - after going up 12 in the first half, instead of going full speed and blowing Bradley away, they let them come back and ended up taking a two point deficit into halftime. The Bulls finished shooting 49% from the floor and had the advantage in rebounds (34-28). The three-point shooting was once again terrible from the Bulls (20%), while it was a bright spot for Bradley at 42% (they averaged just 28% going into the game).

Freshman forward Chris Perry led the Bulls in scoring, getting a career high 18 points on 7-8 shooting. Senior forward Victor Rudd started off hot getting 10 points in the first eight minutes off 4-5 shooting, but then went 3-11 and finished with 17 points. Junior guard Corey Allen Jr. made some big free-throws down the stretch and finished with 11 points.

Bradley (5-8) extended their losing streak to six games, but could have very easily walked away with a win here. Senior guard Walt Lemon Jr. led the Braves with 17 points and 7 assists, and forward Tyshon Pickett was close behind with 16 points and 8 rebounds. The Braves led the Bulls in the two ever-important categories of free-throw percentage (73% to 55%) and turnovers (11 to 15).

Junior guard Anthony Collins was definitely missed in this one. This marked his third straight game missed due to his nagging knee injury, and there's still no word yet on whether he will be back for conference play. Next up is the #17 Memphis Tigers on New Year's Eve at the Sun Dome. Tip off is set for 7 pm and will be broadcasted on ESPN2.