WASHINGTON D.C., DEC.  3, 2016 – After leading for most of the game and as much as 13 in the first half, the USF men's basketball team fell at George Washington, 68-67, on Saturday after a 3-pointer by the Colonials' Collin Smith.

The Bulls (4-3) retook the lead with 11:36 remaining after a layup by Ruben Guerrero (Spain), who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, his second double-double of the season. The Colonials (5-3) did not take the lead again until a 3-pointer from an unlikely player.

Smith, a 6-foot 10-inch freshman center from Jacksonville, Fla., made two free throws to cut the USF lead to 67-65 with 46 seconds remaining. USF sophomore center Luis Santos (Bronx, N.Y.) was fouled on the next possession and missed two of the four free throws USF attempted in the game, to give GW a chance with 32 seconds left. After several passes and a few deflections, the ball found the hands of Smith, who banked in the game-winner with 3.5 seconds left on the clock. Any hopes of a last-second shot by USF was ended with a steal by Jaren Sina of Jahmal McMurray (Topeka, Kan.) at midcourt.

In his first game since serving a six-game suspension, McMurray showed little rust while scoring a team-high 16 points. He was 2-of-5 from 3-point range to increase his consecutive games with a made 3-pointer to 29.

Sophomore guard Troy Holston (Queens, N.Y.) continued his hot shooting with 14 points. He made his first four 3-pointer attempts and finished 4-of-6 from beyond-the-arc. It was his third consecutive game with at least three 3-pointers.

USF led for 31:40 of the possible 40 minutes thanks to solid shooting and defense. The Bulls shot 53.7 percent from the field, 62.5 percent in the first half, and held the Colonials to 38.2 percent.

Smith finished with 22 points to lead the Colonials. He was 8-of-13 from the field and also had eight rebounds.

Quotables

USF head coach Orlando Antigua
On the loss:

“It's a tough one. These kids battled their tails off. I couldn't be more proud with this road swing for our kids to be in a position to take this game.”

On the USF's defense:

“Our goal is to try and hold them under 40 percent from the floor. We did a really good job of doing that, especially in the second half. You have to give them (GW) credit. You have a couple of kids that aren't shooting a high percentage from three and their making two three's each. We didn't get to the free throw line enough in the game. When you are on the road, you have to do that to win.”

On Jahmal McMurray:

“I thought he did a good job of coming in and facilitating early on to get himself going. I can't say enough about how Troy Holston played early on in that first half with the shots he was making. I thought Geno had an incredible floor game, besides getting in foul trouble, finding Troy and finding Jahmal and finding Ruben. Ruben was really big this game. So there are many positives that we can build on.”

Key Stats

·        USF outscored GW in the paint, 34-18.

·        USF committed 23 fouls and GW was whistled for 13.

·        USF was 2-of-4 from the free throw line and GW was 17-of-27.

Notables:

·        USF's largest lead of 33-20, came after a Santos dunk with 4:34 remaining in the first half.

·        Santos made his first four field goal attempts. He made 16 of his last 16 shots dating back to the Kennesaw State game, before missing his final shot on Saturday and finishing 4-of-5.

·        Da Silva, Malik Fitts, Geno Thorpe and Bo Zeigler all had four fouls.

·        Fitts earned his first-career start.

·        Santos has scored in double-figures in each of his last three game. He has made 16 of his last 18 shots from the field.

Up Next:

USF takes a break from competition for finals week. The Bulls host Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 12 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.