USF basketball outlasts Florida Atlantic in overtime heartstopper

If anyone doubts USF's toughness under pressure, show them the tape of Sunday's game at Florida Atlantic.

It wasn't just that the Bulls won 83-81 in overtime against a team that just a few weeks ago led the American Conference. It was about how USF trailed at halftime on the road for the second straight game, despite not playing particularly well at first.

It was how the Bulls withstood a desperate team's best punch and executed in the clutch. It was how guard Wes Enis hit five-of-nine 3-pointers and wound up with a team-high 27 points.

It was how, in overtime, Damion Collins grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed USF free throw, leading to a basket by CJ Brown with 1:41 left to put the Bulls ahead by four.

It was how Brown shook off a turnover near the end of regulation that sent the game to overtime, and hit two free throws with eight seconds remaining to break a tie.

"Man, that showed some big time big time guts to step up in that moment because you know what? They went early and we didn't want to (move toward the basket) until seven seconds were left on the clock," Bulls coach Bryan Hodgson said on his postgame radio show.

'And so we were fuming because we told them, go at seven. Don't leave them any time. And we go, like, at 12 (seconds). We leave them time. Well, CJ steps up and makes two free throws. Even then, we're still mad, right? Now they've got time, a shot to win it or tie it. We strapped up and got the stop."

The Bulls now have a two-game lead in the conference with a nationally televised home game against Memphis up next on Thursday.

"It should be a great environment," Hodgson said. "Be there on Thursday night."