TAMPA, Fla. (February 3, 2007) -- Senior forward McHugh Mattis scored a career-high-tying 23 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the University of South Florida men's basketball team to a 69-63 upset of the No. 21-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday night in the Sun Dome.
The Bulls held Notre Dame to 20 points below its season average of 83.4 points per contest, allowing just 26 points in the first stanza.
USF played stingy defense in the first half, holding the Irish to just 11 points in the first 10 minutes of the contest. USF took a six-point lead with 8:42 remaining, but ND battled back within one over the next three minutes.
Treys by freshmen guards Chris Howard and Solomon Bozeman put the Bulls up by seven ? the largest lead of the half by either team ? with a minute remaining in the first stanza.
In the first half, the Bulls outscored the Irish in the paint 14-8 and converted 12 second-chance points while holding Notre Dame to just four. USF's bench stepped up to score eight of the team's 31 first-half points.
The Bulls extended their 31-26 first half lead with a 7-2 run in the first two minutes of the second period. Notre Dame slowly chipped away at the 10-point margin, taking the 46-44 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
The Fighting Irish built a three-point lead, but the Bulls charged back to regain the advantage at 6:52. Five minutes later Mattis made a put-back off a shot by sophomore Jesus Verdejo to put the Bulls ahead by eight, 61-53.
With 7,705 fans on their feet, freshman guard Amu Saaka nailed four consecutive charity shots in the midst of ND's attempt to foul its way back into the game.
Senior forward Melvin Buckley added 11 points and eight rebounds to Mattis' 23. Junior center Kentrell Gransberry grabbed 14 rebounds and had nine points while Howard dished six assists and had two steals.
USF outscored the Irish 32-20 in the paint and 22-10 on second-chance points. The Bulls also outrebounded Notre Dame 48-38.
USF next travels to Queens, N.Y., to play at St. John's on Feb. 7. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.
