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TAMPA - The University of South Florida men's basketball team got 27 points from Dominique Jones to hold on and defeat in-state foe UCF 69-65 on Wednesday night.

USF was able to hang on in front 4,627 fans in the Sun Dome, the biggest home crowd of the season to date.

In addition to Jones, the Bulls had three other players score in double-digits with senior Chris Howard (14), senior Mike Mercer (12) and junior Jarrid Famous (11) posting double figures.

Famous responded from a one-rebound game against Central Michigan by picking up his second double-double of his season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior Ryan Kardok played 20 minutes in the win and scored the first points of his USF career on a three-pointer in the second half. Kardok also added four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The game also marked the third in a row in which Jones has scored at least 24 points.

Both teams came out running, and the Bulls got out to a 9-4 advantage early. The Bulls took the lead thanks to three blocks in the first four minutes by three different players.

The back-and-forth action continued for most of the first half, as USF took a 19-13 edge with 11:53 remaining after a dunk from Chris Howard from a dish by Jones under the rim.

UCF got a steal and a bucket by Marcus Jordan, Michael Jordan's son, along with a foul with 11 minutes remaining to cut the Bulls' lead.

The Bulls got a big three from Jones with 7:25 remaining in the opening half to extend the USF lead to 25-18, and continued a 6-0 Bulls' run.

With 3:30 left in the half, Howard pulled up from the wing to hit a three and give the Bulls a 32-21 lead. USF followed that up with a fast-break layup by Famous after a dish from Jones.

The Bulls would extend their lead to 34-21 before heading into the locker room up 34-27.

Kardok responded to a UCF three by hitting a three of his own from the corner to put the Bulls up 42-32 with 15:10 remaining.

After a 7-0 run by UCF with under 13 minutes remaining, Jones hit a three from the top of the arc.

Both teams exchanged a pair of layups, including six straight points by Jones, to keep the USF lead at nine, 49-40.

After a nice bounce pass to A.J. Tyler in the lane, Tyler went up for the dunk, but Jones jumped and swatted it away to create a fast-break. Jones got the ball at the top of the arc, and knocked down his third three of the game to give the Bulls a 12-point lead, 56-44, with 8:25 remaining.

With just under six minutes to play, Jordan looked to drive right, but Kardok stepped up to force the turnover which led to the bucket and the foul by Howard that gave USF a 61-51 lead.

The Knights held the Bulls' lead to under 10 points for most of second half, but the Bulls never let it get under four points and held on for their eighth win of the season.

GAME NOTES

Individual Notes:
- With Augustus Gilchrist and Justin Leemow out of the lineup against UCF, freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick earned the first start of his career. Fitzpatrick ended the night with two points and nine rebounds.

- Head coach Stan Heath is in his 23rd season of coaching, ninth as a head coach and third at USF. He has posted a 141-120 overall record and is 29-43 at USF. Heath has made three NCAA appearances (2002-Kent State, 2006 and 2007- Arkansas) in his eight-year career.
- USF is 14-3 in non-conference home games in the Stan Heath era. In his first season with the Bulls, USF was 5-0, and last season the team posted a 4-2 mark before the BIG EAST slate began.
- After just two seasons with the Bulls, Dominique Jones is currently listed on five career records lists at USF and looking in on four more. He is eighth in field goals attempted (979), ninth in scoring (1,274 points), three point field goals made (125), three pointers attempted (376) and free throws made (281). He is also just 21 attempted free throws, nine made field goals, eight steals and 60 assists away from 10th in each category.
- Jarrid Famous responded from a one-rebound game against Central Michigan by picking up the second double-double of his season by putting up 11 points and 10 rebounds.
- Ryan Kardok responded to a UCF three by hitting a three of his own from the corner to put the Bulls up 42-32 with 15:10 remaining. The three-point bucket was the first basket of Kardok's career.
- Dominique Jones ended his night with 27 points and six rebounds in the 69-65 victory of UCF. It is the third game in a row in row with at least 24 points.

Team Notes:
- USF wrapped up its five-game homestand with in-state foe UCF before hopping a flight to Nevada on Thursday to play in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic Dec. 19-20. USF faces USF (San Francisco) and San Diego in Vegas.
- USF is 19-5 all-time against UCF with a 10-1 record in the past 11 meetings. The only loss, though, was the 71-63 defeat last season on Dec. 6, 2008 in Orlando. In that game, USF's Dominique Jones tallied a game-high 31 points, and added seven rebounds and four assists. UCF's top returner from that game is Taylor Young, who had three points, three assists and two rebounds.
- The Bulls had four players score in double-digits against UCF, Jones (27), Howard (14), Mercer (12) and Famous (11). That is the second time this season that USF has had four players score in double-digits in the same game.