Team effort lifts USF past Providence

For the University of South Florida Bulls, who are nurturing upper-division aspirations in the Big East Conference, it was the kind of game they couldn't afford to lose.

And they didn't.

The Bulls found a way to win Sunday afternoon, using their versatility, superior interior play and clutch perimeter shooting to hold off the last-place Providence Friars 81-78 before 4,333 fans at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Midway through the Big East schedule, the Bulls (13-9, 6-3) are tied for third place in the league with Notre Dame and Georgetown, which entertains USF on Saturday. The Friars (12-10, 1-8) dropped their 20th consecutive Big East road game.

"We're building a lot of confidence,'' said USF coach Stan Heath, whose program has won six league games for only the second time since joining the Big East in 2005-06. "Any time you win, that fees into your confidence. We've put ourselves in a good position. This league is a funny league. You can go into stretches either way up or way down. Georgetown is next on the list.''

Heath said he felt "fortunate'' to defeat Providence, which got a superb performance from freshman forward LaDontae Henton (33 points). Henton had five 3-pointers and a career-high 24 points just 17 minutes into the game, but only attempted three field-goal attempts after halftime.

"In the second half, we tried to stay attached to him and not give him open looks,'' said USF guard Hugh Robertson, who was among a multitude of defenders trying to check Henton.

USF, the Big East defensive leader, didn't effectively thwart the Friars. But they managed to turn up the offensive heat with five players in double figures, including Robertson (15), freshman point guard Anthony Collins (career-high 15), Ron Anderson Jr. (14), Toarlyn Fitzpatrick (13) and Augustus Gilchrist (11).

The Bulls also shot 50.9 percent overall and had just five turnovers – one in the second half – along with 17 assists.

"That goes to show how deep our team is,'' Fitzpatrick said. "We've got a lot of guys who can make things happen. Even when our star players aren't going good, we've got other guys who can pick up the slack.''

Providence took a 53-47 lead with 12:17 remaining, but USF's offense immediately kicked into action with a 16-1 run. Robertson's energy provided a nice spurt with a steal and dunk, then a stickback that tied it. Jawanza Poland's jumper gave USF the lead for good.

With the Friars flooding the key, Collins made a pair of 3-pointers (after making just one all season), while Fitzpatrick sunk a trio of treys in an eight-minute stretch.

The Friars gamely battled in the final minutes, actually making it a two-point game, 80-78, when Henton hit three free throws after being hacked outside the arc with 8.3 seconds remaining. Providence fouled Victor Rudd Jr. in the backcourt. Rudd made the front end of his one-and-one with 4.9 seconds remaining, then missed the second, but Fitzpatrick grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock.

"This whole conference is tough,'' Providence coach Ed Cooley said. "We're the last-place team and you've got to fight that hard to win? What does that say about our league?''

Heath would only say this:

The Bulls did enough to win.

Georgetown is next.