TAMPA, NOV.  11, 2016 – Dominance under the basket led the USF men's basketball team to an 84-73 win over Florida A&M in its season opener Friday at the Sun Dome.

The Bulls (1-0) controlled the frontcourt with 46 points in the paint and held the Rattlers (0-1) to just 16. Behind Ruben Guerrero's career-high 16 rebounds, USF outrebounded FAMU 47-32. The Spaniard also scored 13 points, on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, for his third-career double-double.

Junior forward Bo Zeigler (Detroit) did a little bit of everything with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 29 minutes of play.

Junior guard Geno Thorpe (Pittsburgh, Pa.) tied his career-high with 19 points in his USF debut. Earning the start at the point guard position, the Penn State transfer led the Bulls with five assists and was one of four to make a 3-pointer.

USF trailed 11-10 within the first five minutes of play, but went on a 23-7 run over the next 7:31 to take its largest lead of the game, 33-18, with 7:06 remaining in the half. The Bulls took a 45-32 lead into halftime.

Behind a game-high 22 points by FAMU's Marcus Barham, the Rattlers got within five points midway through the second half. Ten USF turnovers also led to the narrow second-half margin. However, the Bulls shot 53.6 percent from the field and made 19-of-27 free throws (70.4 percent) to score the program's most points in a season opener since 2002.

Quotables

USF head coach Orlando Antigua
On 10 second half turnovers:

“I think we got a little sloppy. You have to give Florida A&M some credit. They were trying to scrap to come back. It was something we were prepared for, we just didn't handle it particularly well in the second half. I thought we did a good job in the first half.”

On Bo Zeigler:

“Bo Zeigler worked extremely hard this summer to continue to improve. We are expecting a lot from him on the court and off the court when it comes to his leadership. He does a little bit of everything. I was glad to see him get to the free throw line and get a little bit there.”

On Ruben Guerrero's footwork:

“He's been working extremely hard. That's something we expect from Ruben. Now he's a junior and he's a big part of what our team needs from him, which is to rebound the way he did. He had 16 rebounds and I'm yelling at him because I thought he could have about 20 rebounds. I'm really happy for Ruben and Bo. Those guys keep working and working.”

On Geno Thorpe:

“I thought Geno did exactly what we thought he would do. He's a very talented student-athlete who has a physical presence for a guard and can really attack the basket.”

On the improved chemistry:

“There is a lot of good chemistry and the guys are working hard and battling for one another. Even the guys on the bench. There is a lot of good energy. We just have to keep building on that.”

Key Stat

·        USF was 2-of-2 from the free throw line in the first half and 17-of-25 (68 percent) in the second half.

Notables:

·        USF's 84 points scored was its most in a season opener since a 99-60 win over Nova Southeastern on Nov. 22, 2002.

·        All eight USF players that saw minutes, scored at least five points and had at least one rebound.

·        Junior Jake Bodway tied his career high with five points. It matched the five points he scored at Alabama his freshman year.

·        After 26 points and 16 rebounds in the exhibition game on Monday, redshirt freshman Tulio Da Silva (Brazil) recorded nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes of play. Da Silva fouled out with 5:04 remaining in the game.

·        It had been 609 days since Thorpe logged minutes in a game after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. He matched his career high of 19 points scored when the Nittany Lions played against Duquesne on Dec. 10, 2014.

Up Next:

USF hosts Elon on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The USF men's basketball team is led by Orlando Antigua, who is in his third season as the head coach after spending the previous six season as an assistant to Naismith Hall of Fame coach John Calipari. The Bulls return five from last season's team including American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team member Jahmal McMurray who scored the second-most points ever by a USF freshman last season. The Bulls will also have four additions that sat out last season; Tulio Da Silva, Troy Holston, Isaiah Manderson and Geno Thorpe.

USF has retired three numbers in its 46-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times. In the 2011-12 season, USF was one win away from an appearance in the Sweet 16.

To renew season tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.