Game Stats PDF | Season Stats PDF | Postgame Notes
TAMPA - The University of South Florida basketball team scored its most points of any game this season in a 76-54 victory over Kent State Wednesday night at the Sun Dome.
Bulls' head coach Stan Heath beat his former school and earned his 138th victory as a coach, which is also his 26th with the Bulls.
"We played well," said Heath. "We were clicking, both offensively and defensively. I really thought that it was going to be a really tough game. I have a lot of respect for Kent State."
USF did not trail during its fifth victory of the 2009-10 campaign. USF improves to 5-1 on the season, its best start since the 2006-07 season when they started 7-1.
The Bulls got quality minutes from all players on the active roster including a game-high 19 points from Augustus Gilchrist. Gilchrist added seven rebounds.
"We got out of the gates really quickly," said Heath. "We kept the momentum going. For me, as a coach, it was perfect because I got a chance to rest my starters. We had the chance to play some guys that haven't played a whole lot."
USF got another standout performance from first year Bull, Jarrid Famous. Famous put up 16 points, a career high, and grabbed eight rebounds, while adding a pair of assists.
With nine points by freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, he doubled his season point total. Through five games Fitzpatrick had scored nine points, and in the 76-54 win over Kent State he put up nine in one game.
USF's 41 first half points were the most in the first half this season for the Bulls. It broke the previous high of 37 which came against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 22. The Bulls also set a season high for points in a game with 76. The 76 points broke the previous high of 74 against UNCW on Nov. 22.
The Bulls hit nine threes on the night, which broke their previous high for the season which was seven against SMU.
The Bulls got off to a hot start against the Golden Flashes, and they kept the pedal to the metal for the entire first half.
After starting the game 5-4, USF made a 17-0 run to put the Bulls up 24-4 nine minutes into the action.
During the first 10 minutes, USF did not turn the ball over or commit a foul, helping get out to the early lead.
USF pounded the glass in the first half, pulling down eight offensive rebounds, and picking up 15 boards on the defensive end of the floor. The Bulls outrebounded Kent State 23-12 in the opening period.
Twenty points is the fewest allowed in a half this season by the Bulls. The previous low was 23 against Davidson.
The Bulls were able to extend their lead to 27 points in the second half, and the Bulls went on to a 76-54 victory.
"It game perfect for us," added Heath. "We have another quick turnaround against FAU. I could not have written a script better for tonight. We were able to give some guys minutes and some guys rest without having much of a dropoff at any point in the game."
USF 76, KSU 54
Game Notes
Team Notes
- USF Starters- F Augustus Gilchrist, F Jarrid Famous, G Chris Howard, G Dominique Jones and G Mike Mercer.
- All active USF players got on the floor in the Bulls' fifth win of the season over Kent State.
- The matchup between USF and Kent State is the first meeting and the Bulls' first game against a team that starts with the letter K. USF Head Coach Stan Heath was at the helm of the Golden Flashes in 2001-02, his first head coaching position.
- Heath is in his 23rd season of coaching, ninth as a head coach and third at USF. He has posted a 138-119 overall record and is 26-42 at USF.
- The Bulls hit nine threes on the night, which broke the previous high for the 2009-10 season, which was seven against SMU.
-USF's 41 first half points was the most in the first half this season for the Bulls. It broke the previous high of 37 which came against UNC Wilmington on Nov. 22. The Bulls also set a season high for points in a game with 76. The 76 points broke the previous high of 74 against UNCW.
Individual Notes
- With a three-point FG with 11:58 remaining, freshman Jordan Dumars scored the first points of his USF career. Fellow freshman Shaun Noriega also scored his first points as a Bull on a three pointer, but his came against South Carolina
- Noriega scored for the second time in his USF career. Noriega hit a three in the second half of the 76-54 win over Kent State.
-With nine points by freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, he doubled his season point total. Through five games Fitzpatrick had scored nine points, and in the 76-54 win over Kent State he scored he put up nine in one game.
- With his 10 point night, junior Dominique Jones moved into ninth on USF's all-time scoring list with 1,199 career points, passing Terrence Leather's 1,195 career mark. Jones started the night in 10th place with 1,189 and is now trailing No. 8 Hakim Shahid's 1,252 points.
- Jones, with one free throw made, sits in 10th place on the USF all-time free throw list. He started the game in 10th with 262 free throws, and with free throw against KSU, trails No. 9 Hakim Shahid who finished his career with 268 made in his career.
- Senior guard Chris Howard started the game in seventh on USF's all-time career assists list with 377 handouts. With seven against KSU, Howard now is tied for sixth with Cedric Smith, who finished his career with 384.
