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TAMPA - The University of South Florida men's basketball team improved to 7-1 on the season after defeating the Hampton Pirates 74-55 on Wednesday night at the USF Sun Dome.

Jarrid Famous led the Bulls in scoring for the first time this season as he put up 16 points on the night. The junior college transfer also grabbed 10 rebounds to give him his first double-double of the season.

Senior Chris Howard scored in double-digits for the second straight game and for the third time this season as he put up 13 against Hampton. Howard, with eight assists against the Pirates, moved into fifth place in school history in career assists with 396, passing Brian Swift who finished his career with 388 helpers from 2002-05.

Freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick record a career high 11 points on the night, eclipsing his previous career high of nine which came against Kent State on Nov. 25.

"I am getting more accustomed with what to do and what not to do," said Fitzpatrick. "Coach always preaches to set our screens, so a lot of times I am out there to get other guys open. A lot of the time I get open right under the basket, and that is where I score a lot of my points."

Junior Dominique Jones got the scoring started for the Bulls on the opening possession by nailing a three from the top of the arc. Jones tied a season high with three treys on the night, tying four other players.

The three gave the Bulls the lead, one they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

The Bulls went on to start the game on a 9-0 run, and led the Pirates 14-2 through the first six minutes of action.

"When South Florida started out, I think that first stat sheet I got was 6 for 7," said Hampton head coach Edward Joyner, Jr. "You know, it gets hard then. And then you begin to doubt yourself and doubt what you're doing. And then you have to fight your way back in it."

USF led Hampton in points in the paint 20-6 in the first half, and went on to dominate the low post by outscoring the Pirates 36-28 in the post. USF also dominated in points off of turnovers, outscoring Hampton 21-9 in that category.

The Bulls came out firing in the second half and with 16:19 remaining in the game doubled the Pirates score with a 44-22 lead.

Jones took over the game by nailing a three followed by a coast-to-coast layup with 12:06 remaining to give USF its biggest lead of the game at 31 points, 60-29.

Freshman Mike Burwell hit his first three of the season and his career with five minutes remaining to extend the Bulls' lead to 70-46, and two possessions later he knocked down a second three to give him 13 points for the night.

"This time of year it's easy to lose your focus and so I was really happy we were able to get the win and play some guys," said Heath. "It wasn't as smooth as I like but still solid."

The Bulls' 74 points against Hampton is the third highest output this season, as USF is now averaging 75 points per game in the last four games after starting the season with 66 per game in the first four outings.

With the win, USF is now 23-6 against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The last time the Bulls faced a MEAC team was on Dec. 31, 2006 when USF defeated Bethune-Cookman, 82-49.

The Bulls also improved to 13-2 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.
 

GAME NOTES

Team Notes

Head coach Stan Heath is in his 23rd season of coaching, ninth as a head coach and third at USF. He has posted a 140-119 overall record and is 28-42 at USF.

USF is 23-6 against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The last time the Bulls faced a MEAC team was on Dec. 31, 2006 when USF defeated Bethune-Cookman, 82-49.

USF is 13-2 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.

The Bulls' 74 points against Hampton is the third highest output this season, as USF is now averaging 75 points per game in the last four games after starting the season with 66 per game in the first four outings.

With Coach Stan Heath's emphasis on defense, the Bulls have given up only 470 points in eight games this season for a 58 points-per-game average. The Bulls held Hampton to just 55 points on the night, which is the third lowest point total allowed by the Bulls in a game this season.

Starters for the game were G Chris Howard, G Mike Mercer, G Dominique Jones, F Augustus Gilchrist and F Jarrid Famous. USF has started this lineup in seven of the team's eight games this season.

With the win over Hampton, USF extends its win streak to four games and snaps the Pirates' two-game win streak.

With a 7-1 record, USF is off to the best start since the 2006-07 season. If the Bulls can move to 8-1 with a victory over Central Michigan on Dec. 13, USF will have its best start since 1998-99, when the team was 8-1, then moved to 9-2 before finishing the season 14-14. The 2001-02 NIT team also posted a 9-2 start after beginning 7-0, then moving to 7-2 and on to 12-3.

Individual Notes

Jarrid Famous led the Bulls in scoring for the first time this season as he put up 16 points on the night. The junior college transfer also grabbed 10 rebounds to give him his first double-double of the season.

Senior Chris Howard scored in double-digits for the second straight game and for the third time this season as he put up 13 points against Hampton. Howard, with eight assists against Hampton, moved into fifth place in school history in career assists with 396, passing Brian Swift, who finished his career with 388 helpers from 2002-05.

Freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick record a career high 11 points on the night, eclipsing his previous career high of nine which came against Kent State on Nov. 25.

Junior Dominique Jones got the scoring started for the Bulls on the opening possession by nailing a three from the top of the arc. Jones tied a season high with three three-pointers on the night, tying Chris Howard's performance against FAU on Nov. 27.

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 ninth in scoring (1,223 points), three point field goals made (120), field goals attempted (946) and three pointers attempted (364), and 10th in free throws made (265). He is also just 40 attempted free throws, 24 made field goals, 13 steals and 63 assists away from 10th in each category.