The University of South Florida Bulls (2-1) trailed by double digits with under seven minutes remaining to North Carolina A&T State (0-3) on Monday night at the Yuengling Center. The Bulls answered the bell with a 17-3 run from there, including 10-unanswered points over the final 1:51 on the clock, and secured a 56-54 comeback win when Javon Greene (McDonough, Ga.) nailed a three-pointer with 12 seconds left in the contest.

Greene finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds, connecting on just one of his seven three-point attempts. The one that mattered most.

"It's all about trust," he said after the game. "We have that in each other on this team, even when our shots aren't falling. Caleb [Murphy] trusted me in that spot after I hadn't hit one all night. We never gave up."

It was the third straight game in which the Bulls struggled to shoot the ball from beyond the arc as the team's numerous new pieces continue to work out the early-season kinks and find their rhythm offensively. Head coach Brian Gregory credited the defense for stepping up when the shots weren't finding the mark.

"We really took a step up defensively in the second half, and that's what its going to take until the shots start falling," he said. "We had a lot of really good looks again in this one, but I thought we were even more patient in the second half and made a few more passes to free up some even better attempts. I liked the maturity and growth we showed in that aspect."

The Aggies led by as many as 14 points in the opening half before USF closed the gap to 29-20 on a dunk by Jalyn McCreary (Marietta, Ga.) before the break. McCreary knocked down his first two shots attempts in his regular season debut with the Bulls after being sidelined the first three games.

The North Carolina A&T lead swelled back to 14 at the 8:28 mark of the second half, and the Aggies owned a 51-39 advantage with 6:40 left to play. That's when the Bulls began their charge.

Jake Boggs (Charlotte, N.C.) sparked the offense with a three to cut the USF deficit to single digits, and after the Aggies answered with a triple that could have been a dagger at the 2:58 mark, Jamir Chaplin (Norcross, Ga.) hit one of his own with 1:51 on the clock to make it a 54-49 affair.

That shot by the Aggies stood as their lone points over the final six-plus minutes of play.

Caleb Murphy (Youngstown, Ohio) pulled up for a clutch jumper with 1:03 remaining to make it a one possession game, and Chaplin sunk a pair of free throws to pull the Bulls to within one point with under a minute to go.

Greene's game-winner followed on the ensuing offensively possession off an assist from Murphy.

"Caleb didn't panic when the defense closed in on him, and Javon did what he was supposed to do to free himself up and create the shot," Gregory added. "Our pace of play over the final five minutes was so much better. We played downhill and played off of each other, and good things resulted."

Notable

• Boggs led the Bulls with 10 rebounds (four offensive) and came up just one point shy of a double-double.
• USF tallied a 46-38 rebounding advantage, including 15 offensive boards.
• Chaplin and Murphy finished the game with 12 points apiece. Murphy also had a team-high six assists.
• Coach Gregory is now tied for fifth all-time in program history with 59 wins at the helm.

Up Next

The Bulls will host No. 21 Auburn on Friday, November 19 at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.