The men’s basketball team couldn’t get anything going offensively as it lost to Rutgers by double digits Sunday for the second time in eight days.

was held to its season low in the 62-44 loss to the Scarlet Knights, who continue to make a push for the Big East Tournament.

Similar to the 65-51 loss to Rutgers on Feb. 18, the Bulls never held a lead or posed a threat for a comeback, as USF extended the nation’s second-longest losing streak to 16, behind only Jacksonville’s 24-game streak.

Scarlet Knights’ guard Quincy Douby, who scored 33 points against USF on Feb. 18, put up 13 points while the Scarlet Knights went on a 19-2 run in the first half. Douby, who leads the Big East in scoring, had 15 points at halftime, as did USF. Douby finished with a game-high 25.

“What can you say about a 19-2 run? It was a 19-2 run,” said junior forward Melvin Buckley, who scored 14 points and had five rebounds. “They got out quick out of the gate, knocked down some big shots, and we couldn’t recover.”

Senior guard James Holmes, who scored the Bulls’ only two points during Rutgers’ first-half run, failed to register a field goal in the first half but finished with 14 points.

“It was really tough because you never want to play (from behind) when you’re already struggling, especially on the road,” Holmes said.

The Bulls felt they played defense well, but USF’s 18 turnovers led to 20 points for Rutgers.

“The defense was good,” Holmes said. “We just had too many turnovers in the first half, and when you’re not getting points and scoring, it’s hard to compete with anybody.”

Center Solomon Jones, who is averaging 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds a game, was held to just four points and has only scored seven in the past two games. However, the senior is playing through a minor knee injury.

With two games left – against No. 4 Connecticut on Wednesday and No. 23 Georgetown on Saturday – Holmes and the Bulls will try to avoid finishing the season winless in the Big East.

“We’re definitely looking forward to going out here and playing these last two games and leaving on a good note,” Holmes said.

Attempts to contact coach Robert McCullum after the game were unsuccessful.